A 28-year-old La Habra man was charged Friday with killing his girlfriend, whose body was found in a trash bin in Anaheim on Tuesday.
Amer Saleh Alhasan made his initial court appearance Friday afternoon, but his arraignment was rescheduled for Nov. 15.
Alhasan was arrested at Los Angeles International Airport on Wednesday afternoon after he checked in for a flight to Jordan, where some of his family lives, Anaheim police Sgt. Daron Wyatt said.
He is charged with the murder of 38-year-old Tyanie Ly of Santa Ana, whose body was found stuffed into a duffel bag about 2:15 a.m. Tuesday in a dumpster at 2156 S. Balboa Plaza. Someone made the discovery while going through the bin looking for recyclables, Wyatt said.
Alhasan had brought a “significant amount of personal belongings with him” and was awaiting his flight when police arrived and arrested him without incident, the sergeant said.
“If we were about two or three hours later, he would have been out of the country,” Wyatt said.
Alhasan allegedly fled Jordan because of a sexual assault in that country, Wyatt said. He was also arrested for a crime in California previously, but was not charged, the sergeant said.
Defense attorney Jonathan Lynn declined comment.
The victim was the mother of three young children, the oldest 12 years old, Wyatt said. Her family called police when they were unable to contact her, which helped investigators focus in on Alhasan as a suspect, Wyatt said.
Police on Friday asked for the public’s help tracking down the victim’s 2006 Honda Odyssey. Ly was last seen Oct. 29 driving the white minivan, but police have not been able to find it, according to Wyatt, who said investigators suspect Alhasan gave the vehicle to someone who may or may not know about Ly’s death.
The California license plate of the van is 7LCD935. Anyone who knows where the vehicle may be is asked to call (714) 765-1900. Orange County Crime Stoppers will accept anonymous tips at (855) TIP-OCCS.
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