Melanie Waller, a woman who lives near the canal where Zorah died, explains that her young son, Jacob, claimed to have seen two sets of lights on the road on the night of the accident. Jacob heard a crashing noise, after which one set of lights disappeared. Melanie initially dismissed the story as a product of Jacob’s imagination but started to wonder if he had seen something relevant to Zorah’s death. Several weeks later, at the advice of a neighbor, Melanie reported Jacob’s story to the police.

A police spokesperson explains that because their department receives hundreds of tips each day, it may take time for them to review a tip with important information.

Ashburn clarifies that the police took several weeks to review Melanie’s report, initially filing it away as insignificant evidence. By the time they relitigated it, it was over a month after Zorah’s death.

After Noreen got married and moved jobs, she called Hope House to catch up with a former colleague and learned the news about Zorah. While visiting her parents, Noreen decided to make a detour to Hope House and told her former boss, Maria, everything she remembered from her chats with Zorah. Maria suggested that Noreen talk to the police.

Sayed Nawab talks about being ostracized by his peers because of what he’s done. He explains that all he did was talk to the police about something multiple people heard Rahmat say. Sayed refuses to apologize for his actions, indicating that he comes from a noble family and shouldn’t bow to others’ demands.

Marcy Lee Jonson, manager of the apartment building that Sahil lives in, recalls being visited by the police two months after Zorah died. They wanted to speak to Sahil but couldn’t find him since he was out working one of several jobs. When the police asked about Zorah, Marcy admitted that she allowed her to stay with Sahil, though this was against his tenancy agreement. Zorah turned out to be a bad resident who drew many complaints from other tenants. Marcy threatened to evict Sahil if anyone complained about Zorah again. Soon after, Zorah stopped living with Sahil.

A news report reveals that the police reopened their investigation into Zorah’s death after they received new leads worth following. They invited the public to submit any relevant information and indicated their openness to any new conclusions, including foul play.

A news report reveals that a week after the police announced that they were reopening their investigation, the Sharaf family hired Richard Ward, a defense attorney who famously secured the acquittal of a client in a high-profile murder trial.

An eyewitness describes bumping into men matching Rahmat and Omer’s description while visiting Fulton. This happened some time before Zorah’s death, so when the police asked for information related to Zorah’s death, the witness managed to submit photographic evidence placing Rahmat in Fulton a month before the accident.

According to Noreen, Zorah claimed that Rahmat threatened to kill her for running away from home. He reiterated this threat several times while trying to get her to break up with Sahil. On one occasion, he indicated that he would make her death look like an accident.

Sometime after Zorah ran away from home, Maryam claimed that Zorah had been taking care of her while she was ill. Asma realized that this was Maryam’s way of announcing that Zorah had returned home.

Following Zorah’s return home, Sayed Nawab invited Ustad and their other peers to visit the Sharaf family. Ustad cautioned Sayed when he learned his true motives for the gathering. Sayed denied that he was planning anything malicious, which convinced Ustad to cautiously accept his invitation.

Mohsin claims that the community accepted Sayed’s invitation because it’s customary for a man to go with company when setting out with big intentions.

Nader personally witnessed Sayed calling Rahmat to announce that he and many others would visit him. Rahmat accepted the offer of a visit with joy, believing that his good reputation was being restored. Nader thinks that this assumption was the truest sign of Rahmat’s American naivety: He believed that his wealth alone protected him.

Sayed’s wife, Fahima, took care of inviting her female peers, including Zarghoona, from whom she sought advice on what to bring to a marriage proposal. Zarghoona was surprised by Fahima’s eagerness to enter such an arrangement with the Sharaf family, though she knew that Sayed had always envied Rahmat’s wealth.

Asma describes the visit to the Sharaf residence as a “party.” The Nawab family brought enough food to feed 100 people.

Torpekey remembers that at the party, Zorah behaved with respect and grace, as though there were no controversy surrounding her. Fahima doted on her, which made Torpekey and her peers feel guilty, knowing what she and Sayed were planning.

In the afternoon, the men gathered in the salon to talk. Aziza remembers that she and the other women suddenly heard shouting from the salon, indicating that an argument had broken out.

Mohsin reports what happened in the salon that afternoon. Sayed gave a speech championing the reputation of the Nawab family, emphasizing the legacy of his grandfather. This served as the pretext for a formal proposal of marriage between Sayed’s son and Zorah. To Sayed’s shock, Rahmat awkwardly rejected the proposal. Mohsin understands Rahmat’s decision, considering that Sayed’s son had no education or job at the time of the proposal. Still, their peers sided with Sayed, believing that Zorah was no better than Sayed’s son.

Saif explains that their peers took offense at the fact that Rahmat didn’t cushion his rejection with an excuse, as was customary. Instead, Rahmat rejected the proposal outright, embarrassing Sayed.

Farid adds that Sayed brought his peers to Rahmat’s house as a safeguard against embarrassment. When Rahmat voiced his rejection, Sayed became outraged and started cursing at Rahmat. Their peers attempted to deescalate the situation, but both men doubled down. Sayed indicated that he was doing Rahmat a favor to redeem him from his shame. This provoked Rahmat into lunging at him.

After Rahmat wrestled with Sayed, Sayed’s son and Omer tried to intervene, starting their own fight. Sayed’s bigger and stronger son overpowered Omer, forcing the other men to pull them apart.

The women ran into the salon to help stop the fight. Zarghoona herself only entered once the men had been pulled apart. Sayed insulted Rahmat as the men pushed him and his son out of the house. On her way out, Zarghoona spotted Zorah, who watched the whole scene from a distance, showing no guilt over what had happened.

Farid struggles to remember what Rahmat said as the party dispersed.

Mohsin remembers that he was standing next to Rahmat, which meant that he would have heard what he said.

Saif expresses disbelief regarding what Rahmat was supposed to have said and dismisses it as Sayed’s fabrication.

Zarghoona claims to have heard what Rahmat said with clarity.

Sayed quotes Rahmat expressing a desire to kill Zorah rather than marry her to Sayed’s son.

A news report reveals that the police conducted a search of the Sharaf residence, taking a number of electronic devices into evidence.

A news report indicates that the Sharaf family misrepresented the quality of their relationship with Zorah in the months leading up to her death. They withheld details about her departure from home, claiming that their relationship with her had been idyllic. Sayed is quoted in the article as claiming that the Sharaf family was forced to take Zorah back when she returned because it was the only way to redeem their reputation.

An article suggests that Zorah grew up in a tyrannical household where she was punished for trying to assimilate into American culture. The article claims that Zorah’s parents physically and emotionally abused her after learning that she had a boyfriend, which caused her to experience suicidal ideation. The article draws an implicit link between Rahmat’s statement that he would kill Zorah and Zorah’s death.

A report indicates that the Sharaf family, through their attorney, declined multiple police interview requests. The family asked for details regarding the investigation before agreeing to cooperate, but the police couldn’t supply these because the investigation was still active.

An article insinuates that Zorah was murdered in a possible “honor” killing in retribution for the disgrace she caused her family. The article grounds this theory in Sayed’s claims of what Rahmat said during their altercation. It also compares Zorah’s possible murder to the experience of an Afghan American woman who was targeted by other Afghan immigrants for trying to advocate for women’s rights against domestic violence. This forced the woman to relocate out of fear for her family’s lives. In the article, the woman asserts that Afghan people are more scared of public opinion than anything else. She suggests that Zorah’s murder is possible but unlikely, noting that it would also entail the involvement of the whole community, not just the Sharaf family.

Four months after Zorah’s death, the Sharaf family agreed to undergo police interviews. On Ward’s advice, Rahmat and Omer remained noncommittal about the possibility of future interviews. After the interviews ended, Ward delivered a statement on his clients’ behalf, indicating that they had cooperated with the investigation and were hoping that the police could finally give them closure. Ward decried the police’s harassment of the Sharaf family as a manifestation of racism and Islamophobia.

Soon, Riverside witnessed chaos.

Reporters flooded the Sharaf residence day and night, trying to get the family to provide statements. In many cases, the reporters tried to provoke the Sharaf family with questions accusing them of murdering Zorah. Omer became so frustrated with the harassment that on one occasion, he pushed down a photographer trying to take pictures of Maryam. The reporters consequently framed Omer as violent.

At one point, Margaret tried to indulge the reporters by asking them what they wanted to learn. The reporters’ questions insinuated that Margaret had known of Zorah’s purported abuse. Margaret defended the Sharaf family as caring neighbors, but this only made the reporters more intent on interviewing her. Margaret and her husband ultimately retreated to Florida to escape the press.

The Sharafs’ friends decided to help them escape the media frenzy by sheltering them across different houses. Rahmat expressed his regret over coming to the US, believing that it would have been better for their family to die in Afghanistan. People reached out to the local mosque to offer support to the Sharaf family. However, Rahmat declined all help except for prayer.

Omer remained frustrated with the way their family was being depicted in the press. Ustad discouraged him from doing anything rash, reminding him that they were getting heightened attention because they were Muslim and Afghan. Meanwhile, Maryam couldn’t sleep, so her friends acquired sleeping pills to help her rest.

An article attempts to frame the Sharaf family as hostile members of their neighborhood, collecting statements from people who claimed to have had cold or standoffish encounters with them.

Another article describes Rahmat’s fraught business relationship with Shireen Sultani, who decries Rahmat as a thief and a “monster” who threatened his life.

Another article frames Omer as an unpopular member of his school community. Though the article presents positive testimonies from Omer’s friends, the article represents these friendships as “rare” in Omer’s life.

A news report reveals that an organization called the National Alliance to End Domestic Violence (NAEDV) publicly demanded justice for Zorah’s killing, pinning the murder on Rahmat and Omer. It launched an online petition that garnered over 2 million signatures and pressured state officials to act on the case.

NAEDV attorney Christine Hodge asserts that society failed Zorah.

Sayed asserts his claim that Rahmat promised to kill Zorah. He adds that Omer is just like his father and that he severely injured Sayed’s son, proving his taste for violence. Though Sayed claims that he’s reluctant to say anything bad about Maryam, he insinuates that she was complicit in Zorah’s death anyway.

Christine distances her campaign from Sayed, highlighting the evidence provided by Zorah herself when she sought medical help and when she confided in Noreen regarding her family situation.