The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
A Cobb County jury convicted Waseem Daker on Friday afternoon of the Oct. 23, 1995 strangling death of a Delta flight attendant and the nonfatal stabbing of her then-5-year-old son.
Prosecutors said Daker killed Karmen Smith and attacked her son, Nick, because he was obsessed with her upstairs neighbor, Lottie Spencer Blatz. Daker was convicted of stalking Blatz in 1996. Authorities had long suspected Daker of killing Smith, however they were unable to connect him to the slaying until a new DNA testing of hairs found on the body matched Daker in 2009.
Spectators packed the courtroom, and several relatives and friends reacted with relief, including Blatz and Nick Smith, both of whom testified against Daker. Blatz wept.
The jury began deliberating shortly before 10 a.m. Friday and returned their verdict at 2:39 p.m.
Earlier in the day, jurors asked the judge for permission to replay a portion of taped telephone conversations that allegedly occurred between Daker and Blatz on Oct. 13 and 14, about a week before the slaying, and a portion of an audiocassette taped interview Daker had with Cobb County Police Detective Brad McIntyre after the slaying.
Daker objected to the jury hearing only portions of the tapes, and wanted them to hear the whole thing. However, Superior Court Judge Mary Staley overruled the objection.
Daker, 35, was indicted on 11 counts, including malice and felony murder, burglary, false imprisonment, aggravated assault, aggravated battery and attempted aggravated stalking.
