Inset: Mohammed Mondal (Hamilton County (Ohio) Prosecutor’s Office). Background: The home where Mondal and his family lived (WXIX).
A 47-year-old father in Ohio will spend more than two decades behind bars for killing his 40-year-old wife, shooting her seven times in front of their newborn and toddler while on their way to have family photos taken at JCPenney.
Hamilton County Common Pleas Judge Jennifer Branch on Thursday ordered Mohammed Mondal to spend between 25 and 30 1/2 years in a state correctional facility for the 2023 slaying of Stacy Mondal, records reviewed by Law&Crime show.
Mondal, who claimed his wife was having an extramarital affair and that he shot her in self-defense, reached a deal with prosecutors in which he agreed to plead guilty to one count of involuntary manslaughter and two counts of child endangerment in his wife’s death. In exchange, the Hamilton County Prosecutor’s Office reduced the more serious charges of aggravated murder and felonious assault Mondal had initially been facing.
Prior to the sentence being handed down, Mondal’s defense attorney told the court that his wife’s death was an “unfortunate incident,” but said his client was “taking accountability for the pain that he’s caused,” according to a report from the Cincinnati Enquirer
In a victim impact statement penned by his children and his wife’s family, the victims wrote that Mondal “took the life of the woman who loved us and you so, so deeply.”
“You didn’t just kill her, you broke our family into pieces,” the statement reportedly said.
As Law&Crime previously reported, the fatal shooting took place in the couple’s vehicle while their children, ages 2 months and 14 months, were in the backseat. The family was on their way to JCPenney for photos on Monday, Nov. 6, 2023, when the argument started, and a short while later, Mohammed Mondal called 911 to report he shot his wife.
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“[An officer] said he answered the phone, and by the tone of Mondal’s voice, he seemed to be panicked and upset,” a probable cause affidavit said. “[Mohammed] Mondal first stated that he had accidentally shot his wife. [Mohammed] Mondal then stated that he had shot his wife (Stacy Mondal) and that he did it in self-defense.”
The sergeant responded to Mohammed Mondal’s statements by saying, “Are you serious?” and then asked where he was.
Deputies responded to Mohammed Mondal’s location, catching up with his vehicle near the border between Ohio and Indiana and following it to St. Elizabeth’s Hospital. When the family arrived at the hospital, deputies met them in the parking lot and saw his wife “slumped to the left side towards the center console” with blood covering her clothing.
“She had little to no signs of life,” the affidavit stated. “There was a small black handgun on the passenger side floorboard near Stacy [Mohammed’s] feet.”
Outside of the hospital, Mohammed Mondale spoke to detectives and inquired about the condition of his wife. He said it was “self-defense and that Stacy [Mondal] was going for his gun.” She was pronounced dead at 12:11 p.m. that day.
Mohammed Mondal claimed he and his wife had been having “marital problems” in recent years, per the affidavit.
“He stated that he believed she had an affair with a neighbor,” the affidavit stated. “After leaving to go to the photo appointment, he said that he and Stacy began arguing, and she struck him with her cellphone. Mondal then stated that she dropped the cellphone and reached for a gun that was lying in the open center console. Mondal then stated that he reached for a gun on his person and shot Stacy.”
He later claimed his wife “pointed the gun at him before he shot her.”
“In the course of the investigation, Detectives learned that Mondal believed that at least two men in his neighborhood previously had an affair with Stacy and that at least one of them had been following him,” the affidavit states. “Mondal also believed that his father-in-law was following him on the day of the shooting.”
Investigators said they were unable to verify his claims of his wife’s infidelity. There was also no evidence his wife fired a single shot during the argument.
In a final interview with detectives, Mohammed Mondal again claimed his wife was reaching for a gun when he fired the seven shots, saying he needed to “neutralize the threat.” He said, “I’m not the bad guy,” the affidavit said.
