DALLAS, Texas - A Dallas County jury sentenced a Richardson man to life in prison after convicting him of murder for causing a fatal drunk driving crash that killed a 27-year-old man while his 11-year-old daughter was riding in his vehicle.
On July 31, 2026, a jury found 48-year-old Nahid Abu Naser guilty of murder and sentenced him to life in the Texas Department of Criminal Justice. Jurors also imposed a symbolic $27 fine in honor of the 27-year-old victim, Safayet Ahmed.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorneys Priscilla Pelli and Andrew James. Richardson Police Department investigated the fatal crash, with District Attorney investigators Ron Cathcart and Eric Knight assisting the prosecution.
According to trial testimony, the crash occurred at approximately 3:45 p.m. on Oct. 9, 2024, shortly after Abu Naser picked up his 11-year-old daughter from school.
Prosecutors said Abu Naser was highly intoxicated and driving 44 mph in a 30-mph residential zone when he bypassed a vehicle stopped at a red light by driving onto the shoulder. He then ran through the stop sign and crashed into Ahmed's vehicle in the intersection.
The collision, which killed Ahmed, was captured on a nearby home's Ring surveillance camera and was shown to the jury during trial.
Evidence presented in court showed Abu Naser was already on bond for a felony charge of driving while intoxicated, third offense or more, at the time of the crash.
As a condition of that bond, he was required to wear a Secure Continuous Remote Alcohol Monitor (SCRAM) bracelet and drive only vehicles equipped with an ignition interlock device. Prosecutors said his SCRAM bracelet was in lockout status and he was driving a vehicle that did not have the required interlock device, violating his bond conditions.
Although Abu Naser denied drinking, hospital blood testing conducted about one hour and 45 minutes after the crash measured his blood alcohol concentration at 0.216, nearly three times the legal limit in Texas.
After he refused to voluntarily provide a blood sample, investigators obtained a search warrant. A second blood draw performed around 10 p.m. still showed his blood alcohol concentration at 0.10, above the legal limit.
During the guilt phase of the trial, Abu Naser declined to stipulate to his prior DWI convictions. As a result, jurors heard testimony from the arresting officer involved in his first DWI conviction in Georgia in 2014, as well as evidence of a 2015 DWI conviction in Dallas County.
During the punishment phase, prosecutors presented additional evidence detailing Abu Naser's criminal history and repeated alcohol-related offenses.
Jurors learned about another 2014 arrest in Upson County, Georgia, that was resolved as reckless driving, numerous violations of his bond conditions, and the facts underlying the pending felony DWI charge he faced when the fatal crash occurred.
They also heard evidence of a pending family violence assault case in which his daughter called 911 to report that her father was intoxicated and assaulting her mother.
Prosecutors additionally introduced evidence from a 2022 public intoxication and failure to identify arrest in which Abu Naser was found passed out behind the wheel of a running vehicle in a Waffle House parking lot with an open alcoholic beverage in the center console.
After hearing the punishment evidence, jurors deliberated for just eight minutes before returning a sentence of life imprisonment.
The case highlights the severe consequences Texas law can impose when repeated drunk driving offenses culminate in the loss of life.
