Stopped Payments on Citizenship Marriage Led to Pizza Mart Slaying

Court documents: Suspect killed man after he stopped paying her

By MATTHEW STABLEY

Updated 3:04 PM EST, Tue, Sep 1, 2009

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NBCWashington.com

WASHINGTON -- The Pizza Mart owner found dead in his shop was killed by a woman he paid to marry his brother for citizenship -- until he learned she wasn’t faithful, according to court documents. That’s why the payments stopped, and that's why he died, NBC4‘s Pat Collins reported.

Shahabuddin Rana's body was found locked inside the northeast Washington Pizza Mart he owned with his brother on Aug. 18. He had suffered 14 large lacerations to his head and multiple skull fractures, Collins reported. One police officer said it was the bloodiest scene he’d ever encountered.

The culprit may have tried to set the victim on fire, Collins reported. Rana’s back was scorched, and burnt matches were found on his body, according to court documents.

Police charged 26-year-old Shanika Robinson with first-degree murder while armed.

Rana agreed to pay Robinson $500 per week to marry his Pakistani brother so he could get U.S. citizenship, according to court documents.

When the brother found out that Robinson had sexual affairs with others, Rana stopped paying her, the documents said.

On the day Rana was killed, Robinson went to the Pizza Mart with two men, the documents said. An argument escalated into a fight, according to authorities.

The box cutter used in the slaying was found in Robinson’s Capitol Heights, Md., home, according to the court documents. Bloody clothes were burned in barbecue behind the home, Collins reported, and the getaway car was scrubbed with bleach.

CORRECTION: On Monday, News4 posted a report on the arrest of the suspect. News4 showed a picture of a woman and identified her as the suspect. The woman pictured, however, was not the suspect. We apologize for the error.