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Early Friday, a podcast host and her husband were tragically murdered in their home in Washington state. The couple was killed by a man who had been stalking podcaster Dr. Zohreh Sadeghi, 33, for several months. 

The perpetrator, Ramin Khodakaramrezaei, 38, broke into the couple's Redmond home at 1:45 a.m. through an open window. He fatally shot podcaster Zohreh and her husband, Mohammed Naseri, 35, before turning the gun on himself. 

Sadeghi's mother, who was in the house at the time, managed to escape and called 911 from a neighbor's home.

Redmond Police Chief Darrell Lowe said all three people inside the home were pronounced dead at the scene.

According to Redmond Police, Khodakaramrezaei was a Texas-based trucker. And he got in contact with Sadeghi after listening to her podcast.

 Sadeghi was a popular and successful podcaster. She has a huge fan base with whom she shares and promotes Ayurveda, and holistic Indian herbs and medicine.

Podcaster sought protection order on stalker

He initially sent messages and emails about the podcast. And later began contacting her regularly.

 The tone of his messages made Sadeghi uneasy, and she became uncomfortable with his constant communication.

In December, Sadeghi informed the authorities about the suspect's harassing behavior. 

Khodakaramrezaei had sent her over 100 text messages and made several phone calls per day. The harassment escalated, and he began stalking her in person. The stalker followed her to a conference in Denver in 2022.

Sadeghi reached out to the authorities again in mid-January, and an investigator was assigned to follow up on the case. But the suspect was difficult to track down due to his occupation as a truck driver. 

In March, a judge issued a temporary protection order, but it had not been served at the time of the murders.

Chief Lowe stressed that a protection order does not provide physical protection. 

Khodakaramrezaei had no criminal record prior to the murders. And his motive for the killings remains unknown.

“Our hearts go out to the victim’s family and the Redmond community following this horrific tragedy,” Lowe said. “This is an incredibly sad situation and the worst possible outcome of a stalking case. We will continue investigating what led to this tragic loss.”