Jury to continue deliberating on Darraji verdict next week

After a day and a half of deliberations, the jury had not reached a verdict at the end of the day Friday in the trial of a man accused of strangling his ex-wife in 2020 and burning her body.

The jury will reconvene on Monday, said Jean Gerrells, a judicial assistant in Spokane County Superior Court.

Yasir Darraji, a 33-year-old Iraqi immigrant, is charged with second-degree murder related to the death of his ex-wife, Ibtihal Darraji. She was found strangled in her burning car near Thornton Murphy Park on Spokane’s South Hill on Jan. 30, 2020. He was arrested the next day.

Yasir Darraji’s trial began on Oct. 31. Speaking through a translator, he claimed his innocence in testimony Wednesday. Attorneys finished their closing arguments Thursday morning.

The Darrajis fled Iraq to Spokane in 2014. They separated in late 2015 and their divorce was finalized in 2017.