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Nika Nikoubin, 23, a college student who came to the US when she was 12 was given three years of probation for stabbing her blind date. Judge Carli Kierney cited her mental health issues as the reason Nikoubin was offered probation in Texas. 

 In March 2022, she stabbed Daniel Trevino at a Las Vegas-area hotel.

They connected through the Plenty of Fish dating app. Then the two decided to meet and get a room at a hotel. 

What began as a consensual encounter took a dark turn when Nikoubin, who had a history of mental health struggles, blindfolded Trevino during sex and then proceeded to stab him in the neck with a pink kitchen knife.

Nikoubin was later charged with attempted murder and two counts of battery. She posted $60,000 bail and was placed on house arrest.

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Mental health issues lead to a bizarre motive

When questioned by law enforcement, the woman claimed it was an act of revenge for the death of Qasem Soleimani, the top Iranian general who was killed in a US drone strike in 2020.

 “I mean the U.S. killed Soleimani. Lots of blood spilled, so, I feel like, it’s fair that American blood be spilled,” she confessed to police.

 Nikoubin's bizarre motive was retaliation for a deadly US drone strike that targeted an Iranian commander.

She also claimed she did not want to kill Trevino, only “hurt” him.

During the court proceedings, Nikoubin's mental health struggles were brought to light. Her lawyer described the stabbing as a psychotic episode.

 She had a history of severe depression, schizophrenia, and bipolar disorder. And had just been released from a mental institution a few days before the attack.

The court cited her mental health as a factor in offering her probation instead of a harsher sentence.

Nikoubin expressed remorse in court, apologizing to her victim and the state of Nevada for the harm she had caused. Trevino, while having physical scars from the ordeal, chose to forgive her but left the decision of consequences to the law.

She also disclosed that she had been raped when she was 18 years old, and the trauma from that experience contributed to her actions.  She claimed that she did not fully realize the extent of the rape on her until after the stabbing incident.

Soleimani was killed by a drone 

The top Iranian general headed the expeditionary Quds Force of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps and was responsible for the Islamic Republic’s foreign operations.

He was said to be responsible for terrorist attacks killing hundreds of people including American citizens.