Mina Nazari Guilty in Modesto Child Killing Case

A Stanislaus County jury has found a Modesto mother guilty in one of the most disturbing child-killing cases to come out of the Central Valley in recent years. Prosecutors say Mina Nazari was convicted of the premeditated first-degree murder of her 4-year-old daughter and the premeditated attempted murder of her 10-year-old son in a 2023 attack inside the family’s Modesto apartment. Prosecutors also said the jury found she was legally sane when the crimes happened.

What happened

The case goes back to Oct. 13, 2023, at the family’s apartment in the Crown Ridge Apartments in Modesto, near Scenic Drive and Claus Road. Earlier reporting said Modesto police responded just before 1 p.m. after a 911 call reporting a possible assault. Officers arrived and found Nazari’s 4-year-old daughter dead inside the apartment.

According to prosecutors, Nazari first tried to stab her 10-year-old son in the back while he was asleep. They say the boy screamed and stopped that attack. Hours later, prosecutors say Nazari stabbed her daughter to death in front of her son. Prosecutors said Nazari’s husband rushed home from work in the Bay Area after she called him and indicated she had beaten their daughter, and once he arrived, he called 911.

The child’s identity

The 4-year-old girl was identified by a family friend as Fatima Sana Akram. CBS Sacramento and People both attributed that identification to people close to the family rather than an official police release.

What prosecutors said at trial

The newest reporting says jurors convicted Nazari of:

• premeditated first-degree murder of her daughter,
• premeditated attempted murder of her son,
• child abuse,
• and related charges.

Prosecutors also said Nazari was found legally sane during the sanity phase of the case. That is one of the biggest new facts in this story because it means the jury rejected an insanity defense.

CBS Sacramento reported prosecutors said Nazari admitted to detectives that she killed her daughter and tried to kill her son, and that the knives used in the attack were recovered.

What the early court records showed

Back in October 2023, KCRA reported Nazari pleaded not guilty to murder and to additional charges involving her son. The complaint referenced attempted murder, assault with a deadly weapon, and child-endangerment-related counts involving the surviving child. A judge ordered a protective order because the victim was a minor, and Nazari was initially held without bail.

What neighbors said

Older coverage described neighbors hearing screams from inside the apartment and seeing police flood the complex afterward. KCRA quoted a neighbor describing the apartment complex as filled with police cars, while People cited local reporting that neighbors could hear screams from the home. Those witness descriptions helped shape public understanding of just how chaotic the scene was before more details came out in court.

What we know now, and what we do not

What is now clear from the latest verified reporting is that Nazari has been convicted and found legally sane. What is not yet clear from the sources I reviewed is whether she has already been formally sentenced, and if so, on what exact date and terms. The most solid wording right now is that she faces multiple life sentences.

Why this story is getting attention again

This case is resurfacing now because the 2023 killing was already horrifying on its own, and the 2026 verdict adds a major legal update people have been waiting on. Stories involving child victims, surviving siblings, and sanity findings tend to draw renewed public attention because they answer a question many people have followed for years: what happened in court, and what did the jury decide? That is especially true here because prosecutors said Nazari was not only guilty, but legally sane.

Final takeaway

The biggest new fact is not a sentence yet, but a guilty verdict. A jury found Mina Nazari guilty of murdering her 4-year-old daughter and trying to kill her 10-year-old son, and prosecutors say she was also found legally sane. Unless a later court update emerges, the safest way to describe the current status is that she now faces multiple life sentences, with sentencing still to come or not yet clearly reported in the sources reviewed.

Quick facts

Defendant: Mina Nazari, 36, of Modesto.
Victim killed: 4-year-old daughter, identified by family friend as Fatima Sana Akram.
Second victim: 10-year-old son survived.
Date of attack: Oct. 13, 2023.
Location: Crown Ridge Apartments in Modesto, near Scenic Drive and Claus Road.
Verdict: Guilty of premeditated first-degree murder, premeditated attempted murder, child abuse, and related charges.
Sanity finding: Jury found Nazari legally sane.
Current status: Faces multiple life sentences; sentencing not clearly confirmed in the sources reviewed.