Woman Charged With Killing Niece

By Marcus Gilmer in News on Apr 8, 2009 2:40PM

The aunt of the Orland Park child who was found dead on Sunday night has been charged with one charge of first-degree murder in the girl's death. Police say Nour Hadid (pictured right) beat her two-year-old niece Bhia so badly that the girl died; an autopsy ruled the cause of Bhia's death as blunt-force trauma. Police say Nour discovered Bhia unresponsive on Sunday night and told police that the girl had fallen, causing her bruises. But medical examiners counted 55 bruises on the child's body and the autopsy results were revealed on Monday.

Orland Park police chief Tim McCarthy said, "[Prosecutors] obtained a videotaped confession from her where she outlined in detail how the child was abused and how the bruising occurred that led to the child's death." The prosecutors said Hadid, who is Jordanian, claimed she was angry because her husband, Aladdin, accused her of stealing money. Aladdin, however, defended his wife, claiming no lawyer was present during the alleged confession and that the translator got the story wrong.

Hadid has been ordered held without bail and will face a preliminary hearing on April 30. Three other children were living in the house and have since been removed according to a spokesman for the Department of Children and Family Services. [WBBM, ABC 7]