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DA: Man dismembered his wife, then buried her

Domestic violence cases on the rise during pandemic
Posted at 7:19 PM, Oct 01, 2020
and last updated 2020-10-01 19:19:45-04

BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — Seven months after a 54 year-old man is accused of murdering his wife and burying her remains in his backyard, Mohammed Ali Mused has formally been arraigned in her murder.

Prosecutors say it was March 18 when Buffalo Police were called to the scene of a violent stabbing here in the 100 block of Broadway. Police then found the remains of Mused’s 42 year-old wife Muna Abdulrahman in a shallow grave.

“Allegedly the defendant cut off her head, cut off her arms and cut off her legs,” said Erie County District Attorney John Flynn.

March was when the pandemic began, which led to months of isolation, financial stress and overall anxiety, which is anything but what domestic violence survivors need.

“It created a situation where victim’s were forced to shelter in place with their abusers,” said Sara Grady with the Haven House.

Grady says calls to the domestic violence hotline increased exponentially during COVID.

“There were folks stuck at home who were unable to come to the shelter or were afraid to,” she said.

Over at the Family Justice Center, CEO Mary Murphy says calls to its domestic violence hotline has increased 75% during COVID. She says it wasn’t just victims, but concerned neighbors, family members, co-workers and friends.

The Family Justice Center say a huge uptick in those who had been strangled, sexually assaulted and raped. Murphy says during the period between March until last month, the Family Justice Center says it dealt with more high risk cases than ever before.

In 2019, there were 14 domestic violence murders in Erie County. While the stakes have been high with the pandemic, Flynn says the Mused murder has been the only domestic violence related murder in 2020.

If you or someone you know is dealing with domestic violence, you can call the Family Justice Center at 716-558-7233 or the Haven House at 716-884-6000.