Nearly 4-years ago in Laguna Niguel, a bar fight broke out outside of Patsy’s Irish Pub, leading to the death of Shayan Mazroei. The then 22-year old was allegedly stabbed to death by Craig Matthew Tanber Labor Day weekend. Family members believe the motive of the alleged killing to be a hate crime considering Mazroei is an Iranian-American and the defendant is an admitted white supremacist gang member. The defendants then-girlfriend, Elizabeth Anne Thornburg, who was charged last year with being an accessory to the killing, reportedly set off the altercation after spewing racist slurs at Mazroei during a pool table fight. Court records show that Thornburg spit on the 22-year old three times prior to Tanber motioning Mazroei outside before punching and fatally stabbing him.
The victims mother, Shahzad Mazroei, stated last year that her hope was restored in the justice system following the DA's decision to file charges against Thornburg.
“I can never get my son back, and that is a nightmare I live with every day,” Shahzad Mazroei released in a statement. “But I can make sure the people who tortured my son and caused his death are responsible for their actions.”
The Mazroei family has however taken issue with the duration of the case overall. The belief is that justice is taking too long because the focus is skewed. The delay, however, is partially due to the defense's claims that deputies used heroin to get the defendant, Tanber, to confess. Orange County deputies allegedly "enticed a confidential informant to supply potent illegal narcotics to a fugitive murder suspect so they could apprehend and interrogate him while he was semi-comatose," reports OC Weekly.
Jose' Mazroei says that shouldn’t matter because his nephew’s murder was caught on video.
"They prolong it so many years just because something happened after the fact. I mean, the guy killed somebody and should be punished for that. Whatever happened afterwards they should deal with it later," Mazroei told KFI News' Corbin Carson.
"It is so hard to come every month and they just give us a new date." Shahzad Mazroei adds.
The deputy has pleaded the 5th about the arrest but is expected to take the stand again in exchange for at least some immunity.
Tanber is facing 76 years to life in prison if convicted.