Father convicted in death of teenage daughter after 2022 prom commotion

An Illinois father has been convicted of beating his teenage daughter to death after the two argued about her 2022 prom.

Mohammed Almaru, 42, of Tinley Park was found guilty of first-degree murder on Friday, August 16, for his role in the death of his daughter, 17-year-old Mia Maro, the Cook County District Attorney's Office confirmed in a statement to PEOPLE on Monday, August 19.

The jury deliberated for less than an hour, Patch reported Monday.

Maro was a 12th grader at Andrew High School when her father beat her in their home on May 1, 2022, the Cook County District Attorney's Office said, reports the Chicago-Tribune.

Court documents shared by FOX 32 Chicago in May said Almaru initially allowed his daughter to attend her prom on April 29, 2022, but later changed his mind, saying he “didn't trust her.”

Prosecutors said one of Almaru's sisters found her niece wrapped in a blanket in the house in the 7800 block of 167th Street on the afternoon of May 1, the Chicago-Tribune.

At this point, Almaru was sitting on the floor next to the teenager with one arm around his daughter's body.

Court documents say Maro was covered in “numerous bruises,” with injuries to her head, arms, legs and feet. She suffered “excessive bleeding and hemorrhaging” to her brain, and evidence shows her father apparently used “multiple objects” to cause the wounds, the documents said.

At the time, police found him in his home next to his murdered daughter, “with self-inflicted wounds to his wrist and neck,” according to a police statement dated May 4, 2022.

Neighbors recalled seeing the father being taken away on a stretcher as other distraught relatives arrived at the house at the time, ABC 7 Chicago reports. Neighbors described the scene as chaotic and said there was a lot of screaming.

The police statement also said: “Almaru had taken tablets and was taken to Christ Hospital where his condition was stabilised.”

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According to court documents, Almaru sent an apology text message to one of his sons on the Sunday after Maro's death, saying he had “lost his mind” and “lost control.”

According to ABC 7 Chicago, prosecutors said the argument between Maro and her father over her prom was allegedly related to her crashing her father's car the week before her death.

Court documents showed that Almaru's wife and Maro's mother suffered a medical emergency in 2019 that left them speechless and requiring round-the-clock care, according to the Chicago-Tribune.

Maro's relatives said the teenager dreamed of becoming a dental hygienist.

The Cook County District Attorney's Office told PEOPLE that Almaru's next court date for post-trial motions is set for Sept. 7.

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