Mother of Brooklyn Jogger Murder Suspect Expresses Grief

Fatma Mohassib said she was grieving and expressed sympathy for the family of Katie Suarez, who was fatally stabbed while jogging in Brooklyn. Her son, 27-year-old Sayed Mohassib, is charged with murder in the case and was arrested at the family’s Bensonhurst home on November 7. He was ordered held without bail after appearing in court.

Mohassib described her son as a good person, pointing to his participation in Boy Scouts, a black belt in martial arts, mosque attendance and studies at Brooklyn College. She said he had not been aggressive toward her, his sister or others in the neighborhood. She also acknowledged that he had spent time in psychiatric hospitals, including one stay of up to two months.

Investigators say surveillance footage placed Mohassib near the attack, which occurred by a bike path near Shore Parkway and Bay 17th Street. Court documents say he told detectives he carried a knife because he believed people were coming to kill his family. After returning home, he allegedly disposed of bloody clothing and a knife and tried to clean blood in the apartment.

Mohassib said she felt for Suarez’s parents, describing the loss as shared: they had lost their daughter, while she felt she had lost her son. Prosecutors are pursuing the murder case, which remains pending.