A woman who said that she was "too good looking" to be arrested has been sentenced for the murder of her mother which occurred after a fight over some cigarettes.
Hend Karim Bustami, a 29-year-old woman who once gained attention for alleging police harassment due to her looks, received a 15-years-to-life sentence on Tuesday after pleading "guilty but mentally ill" to second-degree murder in the October 2022 killing of her mother, Afaf Hussanen, according to 8 News Now.
Initially entering a not-guilty plea when indicted by a grand jury in March, Bustami was found mentally stable for trial. However, her public defender revealed that a psychologist reported she was experiencing "intermittent exacerbations of psychosis" and "in need of continuing psychiatric treatment," as per court documents.
Bustami's arrest near Barstow, California, occurred in August 2022, three hours after she called Las Vegas police to report her mother's death. The 911 call played during the grand jury hearing revealed her admission, stating: "I think I killed my mommy" and later clarifying: "Because I did. I murdered her."
Responding to the shared residence of Bustami and her mother, police found the 62-year-old victim with multiple lacerations, pronouncing her dead at the scene. Bustami, covered in blood, was detained during a traffic stop in California, where she again confessed to the crime.
Investigators discovered evidence suggesting a verbal dispute preceding the murder, leading to Bustami fleeing the state.
This tragic event unfolded just four months after Bustami's headline-grabbing encounter with the law in June 2022. At Harry Reid International Airport, she faced arrest for allegedly walking out on a bill at a Chili's restaurant.
Responding officers found her behaving "belligerently" in the baggage claim area, where she made disturbing threats and claimed officers were "trying to rape her" because of her looks, as reported by the Independent.
At the time, she claimed that she was "too pretty" and "good looking" to be arrested.
Her previous arrest at the airport, where she accused officers of harassment due to her appearance, took an unexpected turn when, one day before her scheduled court appearance, she was arrested for her mother's murder. A warrant for her arrest on a battery charge was also in effect at the time of her initial airport arrest.
As part of her sentence, Bustami is required to undergo treatment for mental illness. She becomes eligible for parole in 2037.
