Inset left: Hajir Talebzadeh (Richmond County Sheriff”s Office). Inset right: Melissa Cui Domingo and Elizabeth Cui Domingo (GoFundMe). Background: Law enforcement investigates a shooting in the Best Buy parking lot off of Walton Way Extension in Augusta, Georgia (WANF/YouTube).
A Georgia man is accused of killing his ex-wife and her mother during a custody exchange – and court records show a chilling history between the once-married couple.
Hajir Talebzadeh, 41, faces two counts of murder and one count of cruelty to children in the first degree, local news outlets including CBS affiliate WRDW reported. The man allegedly opened fire and killed his ex-wife, 37-year-old Melissa Cui Domingo, and her mother, 74-year-old Elizabeth Cui Domingo, as the former couple met to exchange custody of their 5-year-old son.
In the Best Buy parking lot off Walton Way Extension in Augusta, Sunday evening turned deadly. At about 6:10 p.m., the Richmond County Sheriff’s Office was called about shots being fired. When deputies arrived minutes later, they found the Domingos with “fatal gunshot wounds.” They were both pronounced dead within the hour.
A third person – later revealed to be Talebzadeh, the suspect – was hurt with non-life-threatening injuries, and authorities said he was brought to a nearby hospital before being booked on the murder charges. The parents’ child was present at the shooting but uninjured.
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“Our hearts go out to the child who was present during this senseless tragedy,” Richmond County Sheriff Gino Brantley said. “No child should ever have to experience such trauma. As a community, we must come together to support him and others who are affected.”
“Violence is never the answer to our problems, it only leaves behind grief, pain, and broken families. The Richmond County Sheriff’s Office remains committed to working with our community to prevent violence and ensure safety for every resident,” he added.
The sheriff’s office learned through witness accounts and security footage that the shooting was a “domestic-related incident.” And court records show there was a history of strife between Talebzadeh and Melissa Domingo that went back years.
She shot Talebzadeh on Dec. 31, 2021, during an argument – and she was subsequently charged with aggravated assault. However, a judge found that Melissa Domingo “was reasonable in her belief that use of force was necessary to prevent death or great bodily harm to herself,” records reviewed by local ABC affiliate WJBF show.
A 911 call from Melissa Domingo and obtained by WRDW after the shooting sheds light on the frantic situation between the then-couple.
“I just shot my husband,” she says amid cries, with what appears to be a baby wailing in the background. “I was in fear of my life; I just shot my husband.”
“You said he was coming after you ma’am?” the 911 operator goes on to ask. “What was happening when he was coming after you?”
“He threatened me. He threatened me. He told me to put the baby down, that he was going … to kill me and take the baby,” she replied.
Talebzadeh can be heard saying he wants to tell her something, to which she responds, “No, you’re gonna hurt me!”
The aggravated assault charge was dismissed against Melissa Domingo just last month.
A judge also found that there was “an established pattern of psychological abuse, control and threats” by Talebzadeh against Domingo, and that Domingo’s “testimony regarding animal abuse” by Talebzadeh was also credible, according to court documents.
The court also considered text messages and emails from Talebzadeh to Melissa Domingo as illustrating “controlling and manipulating behavior” that “contradicts his mild-mannered courtroom demeanor.”
A doctor diagnosed her with post-traumatic stress syndrome, Stockholm syndrome, battered person syndrome and panic disorder.
A custody battle ensued, ultimately ending with an agreement that the boy would go back and forth between his parents’ homes and grandparents’ homes so that the court could establish which parent was the “most fit” to have custody.
Melissa Domingo was ultimately given primary custody because of “how controlling and demanding the father’s behaviors had become,” court documents stated.
The couple was officially divorced in November 2024.
Melissa Domingo said that Talebzadeh was abusive and manipulative, with records stating she “testified about an incident in which the father [Talebzadeh] had pulled a gun on her and fired it; fortunately, she stated that the bullet had hit a trashcan instead of her.”
The filing goes on: “She testified about another incident in which the father had pushed her head into a toilet bowl because he believed that she had been cheating on him.”
Talebzadeh, on the other hand, denied any claims of abuse, accusing her instead of being emotionally abusive. “The father testified that the mother had started calling him derogatory names and expressed that she was no longer attracted to him,” documents state.
A GoFundMe for the late mother and grandmother states that the child – referred to as Michael – “is now under the care of the Department of Family and Children Services, as the family works through the devastating aftermath of this heartbreaking event. The pain of losing both a beloved mother and daughter in such a sudden and violent manner is beyond words.”
It is unclear when Talebzadeh is set to appear in court for the murder charges.
