HARRISBURG — Attorney General Dave Sunday announced that a New York man has been sentenced to life in prison for killing his daughter in Palmyra, then driving to a park in Staten Island to dispose of her body.
Kabary Salem, 57, was found guilty in October by a Lebanon County jury of first-degree murder regarding the death of Ola Salem in 2019.
At sentencing, Chief Deputy Attorney General Brian Zarallo told the court that Ola fought for her life while realizing her demise came at the hands of her father.
“A father is supposed to love and protect his child, but, this defendant committed one of the cruelest acts imaginable — he murdered his daughter in cold blood,” Attorney General Sunday said. “There is but one acceptable punishment for such a heinous crime. This life sentence will not bring Ola back, but it offers a measure of justice and accountability against the defendant.”
The New York City Police Department investigated the case following the discovery of Ola’s body. Her cause of death was strangulation and blunt force trauma.
At the week-long trial, prosecutors from the Office of Attorney General presented evidence that surveillance video and GPS data showed that Salem drove from Palmyra to the park in Staten Island. His DNA was also found under the victim’s fingernails.
This case was prosecuted by Chief Deputy Attorney General Brian Zarallo and Senior Deputy Attorney General Lauren Eichelberger.
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