An Afghan national who admitted to fatally stabbing a disabled man in Houston over delays in his refugee application will be released from jail after prosecutors failed to indict him in time.
Masiullah Sahil, a 37-year-old man from Afghanistan, admitted to stabbing and killing another man out of frustration over delays in his pending refugee application.
Although he claimed to be a refugee, Sahil had not been granted that status at the time of the attack, according to available information.
The victim, Abdul Niazi, was a 34-year-old husband and father of five. A Marine ally in Afghanistan, Niazi had lost both legs in combat and was confined to a motorized wheelchair. During the attack, Sahil was in Niazi’s office for matters related to his refugee application.
Investigators found Niazi with more than 20 deep stab wounds and lacerations to his stomach, chest, back of the neck, and parts of his remaining left leg.
According to testimony, Niazi’s wife had attempted to call her husband while he was at the office, but Sahil answered the phone instead. He reportedly told her, “I killed your husband, please forgive me.”
The family confirmed they had heard of Sahil but had never met him or had any prior relationship with him. During his confession, Sahil admitted the stabbing was driven by growing frustration over how long it was taking for his refugee status to be approved.
Following the March stabbing, Sahil’s bond had originally been set at $750,000.
However, yesterday afternoon, Sahil was granted a Personal Recognizance (PR) bond, allowing him to be released from jail without paying any money. Essentially, prosecutors with the Harris County District Attorney’s Office failed to formally indict Sahil for murder within the required 90-day legal window—the deadline to hold someone in custody without an indictment.
Judge Emily Detoto, who presided over the hearing, stated that the PR bond was mandatory under the circumstances.
When questioned, prosecutors admitted they could not provide “any valid reason” for the delay, with one telling the judge, “It just didn’t get done.” Judge Detoto noted that five grand juries are typically sworn in at any given time, and any of them could have been used to secure the indictment.
A Harris County District Attorney’s Office spokesperson said, “The District Attorney’s Office is reviewing the situation with the prosecutors handling the case.” No further explanation has been provided at this time.
In what appears to be a last-minute effort to keep Sahil behind bars, prosecutors filed an additional charge of tampering with evidence connected to the murder. That charge carries a $25,000 bond; if paid, Sahil must wear a GPS monitor at all times while awaiting trial.
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