The bodies of Hossam Armanious, 46, his wife Amal Garas, 36, and their two children, Sylvia Armanious, 15, and Monica Armanious, 8, were discovered by police officers. They were an Egyptian family.
The Hudson County Prosecutor's Office said that police checked on the family after concerned family members said they hadn't heard from them in days. At 4 a.m., police discovered the four bodies bound and gagged with wounds to their throats.
One broadcast report said that the police were investigating whether the murders were the result of a tenant dispute, but later in the week, newspaper accounts said that Hossam Armanious, an Egyptian Christian, had gotten into religious battles with Muslims in internet chat rooms.
The tensions boiled over on Monday when a service for the family resulted in anti-Muslim shouts and signs. As the week went on, police seemed no closer than finding the killer or killers than before. Hudson County Prosecutor Ed DeFazio said there was no cash or jewelry found in the home, so the family might have been robbed.
Maher Khalil, assistant to the director of the city Health and Human Services Department and a liaison for Mayor Jerramiah Healy to the Egyptian community, said, "All I can say is it is really unfortunate...I don't know what to say. It's really horrific."
Anyone with information should contact the Hudson County Prosecutor's Office at (201) 915-1344. - Ricardo Kaulessar
Photos by Rich McCormack
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