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HOUSTON (AP) - A Houston man pleaded guilty Wednesday to capital murder for the shooting deaths of his three children in 2010 when he was locked in a custody dispute with the children's mother.
Mohammad Goher, 50, admitted his guilt in exchange for a sentence of life without parole. Court records show Goher admitted to shooting 14-year-old Saeedah, 12-year-old Saeed and 7-year-old Aisha while they slept at his apartment in September 2010.
The Houston Chronicle cites investigators in reporting ( http://bit.ly/1a7KLO1) that Goher and his wife, Norma Martinez, were divorcing and waging a custody battle when he killed the children.
After shooting them, he turned the gun on himself but survived a gunshot wound to the head.
Martinez filed for divorce in February 2010 and has said she suffered years of abuse. She and the children had lived in a shelter following the divorce filing.
Martinez argued in the days following the deaths that authorities required her to adhere to a court-ordered visitation schedule even though she documented the abuse.
Goher was convicted in 2006 of assault of a family member and placed on deferred adjudication. Court records indicated Goher was intoxicated and beat his wife with his hands and fists, leaving her bruised and injuring her right hand.
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Information from: Houston Chronicle, http://www.houstonchronicle.com
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