Shamshiddin Abdur-Raheem claims he threw his 3 month old daughter off a bridge

**Kimberley** · February 17th, 2010, 06:37 AM

EAST ORANGE -- What started as a domestic dispute may have ended in tragedy tonight, after a 21-year-old Galloway Township man told police he threw his three-month old daughter from the Driscoll Bridge after abducting her in East Orange this afternoon, authorities said.

Police found the man, Shamshiddin Abdur-Raheem, sometime after 8 p.m. at a family member’s residence in the Sicklerville section of Winslow Township, Camden County, according to Winslow police Lt. Michael Hoffman. There was no sign of his young daughter Zara Malani-Lin Abdur-Raheem, whom East Orange police claim he kidnapped late this afternoon.

http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/201...st_orange.html

**Trish** · February 17th, 2010, 07:24 AM

I woke up to seeing this on the news. WTF is wrong with people!!
So far no new news .

**Jaded** · February 17th, 2010, 08:39 AM

It's up front....

http://www.dreamindemon.com/2010/02/...ff-the-bridge/

Please, if you come across any updates, give us a nudge up on the front page. Thanks!

**Kimberley** · February 17th, 2010, 01:05 PM

**Dakota Valkyrie** · February 17th, 2010, 03:05 PM

His name has been corrected from initial reporting by the AP. Shamsiddin instead of Shamshiddin. WHo knows, both used by various outlets.

The grandmother chased Abdur-Raheem outside the apartment building and threw herself on the hood of a minivan in an attempt to stop the abduction, according to Chris Bailey, superintendent of the building.

Abdur-Raheem, however, climbed in the passenger side of the van clutching the baby, and left with another man, who has not been identified, at the wheel, Bailey said, recounting the story the child's grandmother told him after the incident.
[...]

He has been charged with attempted murder, kidnapping, aggravated assault, and possession of a weapon by East Orange police.
[...]

Muhsin Raheem, father of the suspect, said his son was a pre-law student at the Richard Stockton College of New Jersey in Atlantic County and was slated to graduate in a few months. He said his son interned a year ago at the Attorney General's Office in DC a year ago.

http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/201...ieved_thr.html

**Jerri Blank** · February 17th, 2010, 03:07 PM

You have got to be shitting me!!

omg, poor baby.

Zara Malani-Lin Abdur-Raheem

**Dakota Valkyrie** · February 17th, 2010, 06:12 PM

This one calls him Shamsiddi.

**ImmortalOne** · February 17th, 2010, 07:17 PM

I think we should just call him Shithead and be done with it. Who gives a fuck what they call him or his real name is?

**Kimberley** · February 17th, 2010, 08:41 PM

His bail was set at 700k. What is wrong with this world that they would even grant him bail after telling the police that he threw an innocent baby off a bridge? So frustrating!

**Dakota Valkyrie** · February 17th, 2010, 08:57 PM

Originally Posted by ImmortalOne

I think we should just call him Shithead and be done with it. Who gives a fuck what they call him or his real name is?

I TOTALLY agree. In fact, I have taken to mentally calling him Sham Shittin'

I have ulterior motives, though. It helps with forum searches if other spellings are used LOL

**Jaded** · February 17th, 2010, 10:03 PM

When I was getting this one ready for the fp, my fingers wanted to type Shamwow...

**Silvahalo** · February 18th, 2010, 03:42 AM

Insanity. I don't really doubt that he did it, no reason to say so and not be true at this point. Still, it sickens me to think he actually did this, don't want to believe that this is what her ending came to. What a monster.

So sorry baby Zara, you deserved life and love.

**Aslan** · February 18th, 2010, 04:16 AM

An impromptu play by Aslan

Sheriff- "Then go get her"
*tosses Shamsiddin Abdur-Raheem off bridge*

The End

**Kimberley** · February 18th, 2010, 02:21 PM

EAST ORANGE — The man accused of throwing his infant daughter off a Garden State Parkway bridge pleaded not guilty today to attempted murder and assault charges for an alleged attack against the child's grandmother.

Shamsid-Din Abdur-Raheem, 21, made the plea through Regina Lynch, a public defender, at a 10-minute court hearing at Superior Court in Newark today.

The baby's mother, Venetta Benjamin, 29, was at the hearing, along with three friends.

Abdur-Raheem pleaded not guilty for his alleged actions against the child's grandmother, Leno Benjamin, for attempted murder, kidnapping, aggravated assault, assault, and for endangering welfare of child.

http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/201...threw_inf.html

The mother of the little girl was present during his plea.

**cubby** · February 18th, 2010, 03:08 PM

she has beautiful kissy cheeks...8(

**Silvahalo** · February 18th, 2010, 03:14 PM

Not guilty?? what, he's going to produce baby Zara alive and well and say, it was all a joke, just a joke folks???

**thequeenofsorrow** · February 18th, 2010, 04:19 PM

No death penalty in NJ :( This POS deserves it.

**backlash** · February 18th, 2010, 04:27 PM

This guy's name sounds like a line out of this song...

[ame="http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x1bkm5_das-efx-they-want-efx_music"]Dailymotion - Das EFX - They Want EFX - une vidéo Musique@@AMEPARAM@@http://www.dailymotion.com/swf/x1bkm5@@AMEPARAM@@x1bkm5[/ame]

**thequeenofsorrow** · February 24th, 2010, 03:37 PM

February 24, 2010 -- Authorities have charged a New Jersey man who told police he threw his 3-month-old daughter off a bridge with murder.

Shamsid-Din Abdur-Raheem of Galloway Township pleaded not guilty last week to charges including the attempted murder of the child's maternal grandmother. Police say he assaulted her when he grabbed the child on Feb. 16.

A message left for the public defender's office, which has been representing Abdur-Raheem, was not immediately returned.

The search for the baby has centered around the Garden State Parkway's Driscoll Bridge over the Raritan River between Sayreville and Woodbridge.

Attorney General spokesman Peter Aseltine says Abdur-Raheem has been charged with one count of first-degree murder even though the child's body has not been found.

http://abclocal.go.com/wpvi/story?se...cal&id=7295348

**Dakota Valkyrie** · February 26th, 2010, 10:36 AM

The man accused of killing his 3-month-old daughter by throwing her into the frigid Raritan River last week is under suicide watch and is being held alone in a jail cell for his own protection, authorities said today.

When Shamsid-Din Abdur-Raheem, 21, exhibited some behaviors that concerned prison officials at the Essex County Correctional Facility, where he is being held, they charged a psychiatrist to watch him, said Alfaro Ortiz, director of the jail.
[...]

Because of the severity of the charges, he is also being held alone and away from the general prison population as a precautionary measure, Ortiz said.

“He’s better off and we’re better if we put him in a single cell situation,” Ortiz said. “You want to protect him, make sure nothing happens to him.”

Abdur-Raheem is intensely supervised — wherever he goes, he is escorted by multiple prison guards, Ortiz said.

http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/201...owing_inf.html

I hope the "watchers" are temporarily struck blind, ShamShittin finds a rope/razor/hypo of poison, and/or his cell lock breaks.

**carolinablue** · February 26th, 2010, 10:49 AM

oh hell! let the man off himself. let him go to his Maker with that poor child's blood still
fresh on his hands.

**TwiztidAngel** · February 26th, 2010, 11:00 AM

ya know...i think he cried wolf on the whole claimin to be suicidal...i was watchin a real prison show...cant remeber the name...i watched it last night on ch42...neway...the CO's HAVE to put on suicide watch if the 'accused' says he is suicidal...and there was this one guy that blatantly said he was just sayin that to get out his cell...even tho he admitted to lyin...they STILL had to watch him

**thequeenofsorrow** · February 26th, 2010, 11:09 AM

Yeah Sham was a law student. He knows how to get what he wants. He wants to be alone for his own safety.
Too bad he couldn't have worried about his baby's safety. I hate this guy

I wanna believe he gave the baby to a relative but I know he didn't. This guy and Gabriel Johnson's mom were made for each other....

**curethispain** · February 26th, 2010, 05:32 PM

Zara means princess, I believe. I know because I named my ferret that specifically for that reason.

Its a really fitting name for that beautiful little girl.

**TheDepressor** · February 27th, 2010, 02:34 AM

I actually live about 30 mins away from the Driscoll Bridge and must go over it everytime I go to Newark for a Devils hockey game. I was actually talking with several of my friends who also travel there on a very regular basis, and there are ALOT of people around here that believe he couldn't have thrown the baby from the bridge. First of all, there is major construction going on with the bridge right now. The only shoulder area to really be able to pull your car over completely and leave it to get out would be at the end of the bridge, not halfway over. And, the time of day that he supposedly threw the baby would have been a very, very busy time of day on that bridge. How did no one see anything? I'm praying he was originally lying to buy time and have officials start a water search while whoever he gave the baby to was able to take off. And, nothing more has been said about the guy that was driving the mini van when the abduction happened. I don't know, I guess I'm once again just trying to be optimistic. I know they wouldn't be able to find the body immediately anyway because of the current. A year or two ago, a man committed suicide by jumping off the bridge and it took over 2 weeks to recover his body. There have been quite a few suicides on that bridge over the years. Which is yet another reason why it's so strange that no one saw anything. A bridge known for jumpers and you see a man walking, whether you see him carrying something or not, it makes you take notice. And, when that bridge is busy, especially with the construction going on, you can be sitting in bumper to bumper traffic for a looong time. I pray they find her alive because, knowing the area/bridge, some things just aren't making sense.

**Silvahalo** · March 3rd, 2010, 09:02 PM

I was hoping baby girls body was found :( no luck. This fuckers going down for murder even without a body, loving it. I really, really do want to see they find Zara's body, can imagine how hard it is on family without putting her to rest properly.

NEWARK, N.J. – A New Jersey man was charged Wednesday with murder for allegedly throwing his 3-month-old daughter off a highway bridge into an icy river last week.

Shamsid-Din Abdur-Raheem, of Galloway Township, assaulted the child's maternal grandmother at her East Orange apartment and ripped the child from her arms on Feb. 16, the same day the girl's mother sought a restraining order against him, police said.

Attorney General Paula Dow said the search for the baby was ongoing. Despite the lack of a body, Dow said there was enough evidence to file a first-degree murder charge.
"While our ongoing exhaustive search has not located the victim, we are moving forward with our investigation and our pursuit of justice in this tragic case of domestic violence," Dow said in a statement.
[...]

The search for the baby, Zara Malani-lin Abdur, has centered around the Garden State Parkway's Driscoll Bridge, which spans the Raritan River between Sayreville and Woodbridge.

The child's mother, Venetta Benjamin, had sole custody and had left the infant in her mother's care while she sought a restraining order against Abdur-Raheem in a Newark court.

[...]
The case also prompted the attorney general's office to review state guidelines for the issuance of Amber Alerts, after questions arose as to why no alert was issued during the 4-hour window between the abduction and the arrest....."The (guidelines) were carefully crafted from the onset," Loriquet said. "This particular case has us saying perhaps we have to revisit, and tweak them a bit."

Source.

**TwiztidAngel** · March 3rd, 2010, 09:10 PM

damn...still not found her? i'm going to la-la land now

**Whisper** · April 24th, 2010, 03:24 PM

Body Found Might Be Baby Zara

The body of an infant discovered this morning is consistent with the descriptions of a three-month-old alledgedly abducted by her father and thrown over a bridge in February, police say.
The remains were discovered around 8:30 a.m. by people walking on the southern bank of the Raritan River in Sayerville, according to New Jersey State Police.
Authorities have recovered evidence from the scene, including DNA samples that will be processed at the New Jersey State Police lab as soon as possible.
Three-month-old Zara Malani-Lin Abdur-Raheem has been missing since she was alledgedly abducted by her biological father, Shamsid-Din Abdur-Raheem on Feb. 16. Baby Zara was wearing a pink-and-gray Carter's onesie, and wrapped in a blue sleeping bag.
The clothing and wrappings found on the body are consistent with these descriptions, say police.
Zara's mother, Venetta Benjamin, has been notified of the discovery, but the found infant is considered unidentified until DNA testing or other means can prove her identity. Benjamin had filed for a restraining order against Abdur-Raheem shortly before the abduction.
An autopsy will be performed on the body at the state medical examiner's regional office in Newark.
The remains were located just east of the Route 35 bridge, known as the Victory Bridge.
On Feb. 16, Abdur-Raheem, 21, of Galloway Township, alledgedly forced his way into the baby's grandmother's East Orange apartment, took baby Zara and then hit the grandmother with his car as he drove away, according to police.
[...]

http://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/...-92011614.html

Zara Malani-Lin Abdur-Raheem

**Tundratot** · April 24th, 2010, 03:54 PM

What was Shithead's motivation here? It had to be something he had against the mother, because that baby is just too sweet. Was it another "I can't be bothered to pay child support" case? Or the "you can't live your own life, I have to control you" thing? Anybody know?

And, why am I relieved they found the body?

**LadyCygnet** · April 24th, 2010, 04:04 PM

Originally Posted by Tundratot

What was Shithead's motivation here? It had to be something he had against the mother, because that baby is just too sweet. Was it another "I can't be bothered to pay child support" case? Or the "you can't live your own life, I have to control you" thing? Anybody know?

And, why am I relieved they found the body?

Some people are just selfish asshats. It could also be that he didn't want a daughter. She was a darling baby who, as cubby said, has very kissable cheeks.

I think you and I are both relieved that her body has been found because it gives her mother some closure. She may not get to hold her daughter one last time or kiss her goodbye, but at least she knows what happened now, and she can grieve the loss and focus on making sure that her ex is punished to the fullest extent of the law.