The elder of two sons suspected of killing their parents says that his younger brother was not involved in the deaths that have unnerved their tight-knit Muslim community.
Hasib Bin Golam Rabbi, 22, told the San Francisco Chronicle (http://bit.Ly/1SUERp2) in a jailhouse interview Thursday that he is eager to tell the real story, but offered no other details.
Shamima and Golam Rabbi were found fatally shot Sunday in their home on a quiet cul de sac in San Jose. They were popular fixtures at their mosque for three decades and had helped relatives emigrate from their native Bangladesh.
"I want everyone to know what happened," Hasib Bin Golam Rabbi said, "but I can't say anything without a lawyer." He was emphatic when asked if his brother 17, had any role in the slaying of their parents: "No, and that's all I can say. He's innocent." Authorities haven't named the 17-year-old because of his age.
Shamima and Golam Rabbi are scheduled to be buried Friday in Livermore, the same day their older son is expected to appear in Santa Clara County Court.
Word of the deaths and the Thursday arrest of their sons sent shockwaves through those who worship at the family's mosque.
"Everybody is praying that it's somebody else who did this and not the kids," said Abdul Jaka, a co-founder of the Evergreen Islamic Center. "They were a nice family." Jason Wong, 16, a classmate of the teen at Evergreen Valley High School, said the junior was "quiet and kept to himself mostly." Wong, also a junior, said he saw the teen on campus on Monday, the day after his parents were found dead.
"I didn't think anything was wrong then because I didn't know his parents had died," Wong said. "But now it seems strange."
The victims' nephew Golam Mustakim and his family emigrated from Bangladesh in 2000 and initially stayed with the Rabbis in their four-bedroom home.
Relatives discovered the bodies, and it was not clear how long the couple had been dead, police spokesman Sgt. Enrique Garcia said. No further details were released.
"This is one of those tragedies nobody ever wants to be in," mosque spokesman Faisal Yazadi said. "All we can do is pray.
