On the night of June 29, 1984, Abdelkrim Belachheb, then 39 years old, had an argument with a woman at Ianni’s Restaurant and Club. After being insulted, he left, retrieved a Smith & Wesson 459 handgun from his car, and returned to the bar. He shot and killed six people, including the woman he had argued with. Three victims were executed execution-style with a gunshot to the head. Belachheb then fled the scene, shooting a seventh person as he escaped. He was arrested less than two hours later at a friend’s house .
Trial and Sentencing
Belachheb pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity, claiming he suffered from paranoid schizophrenia and had brain damage from repeated head injuries. However, psychiatrists testified that he was a sociopath with an anti-social personality and no significant brain damage. The jury convicted him of six counts of murder and one count of attempted murder. He was sentenced to six consecutive life terms and fined $70,000. Due to Texas law at the time, he was not eligible for the death penalty, even though he had committed multiple murders .
Aftermath and Legacy
The Dallas shooting highlighted gaps in U.S. immigration policy, as Belachheb had been allowed entry despite being a fugitive in both Belgium and Morocco. This led to criticism of the Immigration and Naturalization Service and calls for stricter vetting procedures. In response to the crime, Texas passed House Bill 8 in 1985, making multiple murder a capital crime, thereby closing the legal loophole that had spared Belachheb from the death penalty .
Jan Arbuckle Smith Grave
Location: 3100 White Settlement Rd, Fort Worth, TX 76107
Linda Lowe Grave
Location: 5725 Colleyville Boulevard, Colleyville, Texas, 76034 USA
Joseph John Minasi & Frank Parker
Mr. Minasi was cremated, and unfortunately, there is no information available regarding the location of his remains or those of Mr. Parker. Despite our efforts to gather more details, we have not been able to uncover any leads..
Abdelkrim Belachheb Grave
Belachheb died of natural causes on October 19, 2017, at the age of 72, while serving his sentence in the Clements Unit state prison in Amarillo, Texas. He is buried in the prison cemetery.
Location: 380-398 Bowers Blvd, Huntsville, Texas
