VALLEJO, Calif. - A 45-year-old man was arrested in Pennsylvania after his wife was found shot to death in their Vallejo apartment on Wednesday.
The backstory:
Vallejo Police Department officers were called just before 9 p.m. on Tuesday to the 1000 block of Oakwood Avenue after a person reported that their coworker was missing and that they were worried since the coworker had "a recent argument with her husband."
The person who made the report also told police that the coworker had recently stayed at the home of a mutual friend after her husband threatened to kill her, the VPD said.
Police attempted to check on the woman in her apartment, but received no answer. They also searched the area, but none of the woman’s neighbors reported any disturbances at her home.
Authorities found that the victim’s car had been seen by automated license plate readers in West Vallejo, but received no response when they attempted to call her or her husband.
Then, on Wednesday, a maintenance worker at the apartment complex entered the woman’s home, and found her dead of a gunshot wound inside.
Identifying the suspect:
"The Vallejo Police Department Detective Division responded and took over the investigation," according to the VPD. "The investigation identified the victim's husband, Zheer Queja Malassab, a 45-year-old Vallejo resident, as the suspect in this homicide."
Authorities learned that the victim’s vehicle had traveled to Pennsylvania, prompting Vallejo police to contact state law enforcement to be on the lookout.
"The Pennsylvania State Police located the missing vehicle and attempted to conduct a felony traffic stop on it," Vallejo police said. "The driver of the vehicle, who was later identified as Zheer, refused to pull over and initiated a pursuit. Due to snowy road conditions, Zheer was ultimately forced to stop and surrender to the Pennsylvania State Police."
Zheer was arrested without incident and allegedly confessed to officers that he had shot his wife, according to the VPD. He is awaiting extradition to California, where he will be booked into Solano County Jail on suspicion of murder.
The woman’s death marks Vallejo’s 17th homicide of the year.