A taxi driver was caught on CCTV stalking his ex-wife before stabbing her to death outside the door.
Mohammed Arfan followed Marena Shaban from work to her home in Bordesley Green, Birmingham before launching the fatal attack on January 28.
Arfan wore an afro wig to disguise himself and stabbed Marena in the chest 20 times before throwing away the wig and murder weapon as he fled the scene.
Police were called within minutes of the attack, but the 41-year-old’s injuries were so serious that she died at the scene.
Less than half an hour after killing the mother of four, Arfan was laughing and joking with friends in a barbershop.
Now, CCTV footage released by West Midlands Police shows that Arfan chased Marena and repeatedly drove past her workplace in a car he had brought with him several weeks before the murder.
He stopped by in a taxi more than a dozen times and even parked nearby and walked past the store.
Chilling footage shows the killer waiting for Marena to finish work and watching as she drove off and drove home.
He then lay waiting for her before she got home before launching the “frantic” attack.
Arfan was also caught on camera throwing the suspected murder weapon into a trash can, before dumping his vehicle and discarding the sweater he was wearing during the attack.
Arfan would later return to the crime scene where he saw the police surrounding Marena’s body.
When police found his car, blood was found on the door handle and a wooden shoe hammer and a wig box were found.
Arfan, 42, of Ward End initially denied killing Marena, claiming he hadn’t seen or spoken to her in over a year.
But he pleaded guilty to murder in Birmingham Crown Court yesterday and was sentenced to life imprisonment, with a minimum term of 22 years.
Prosecutor Peter Grieves-Smith said: “The defendant was not happy with the divorce and became obsessed with her lifestyle.
“He couldn’t speak to her on the phone because she blocked him. However, he followed her on social media and also to her home and work.
“Mrs Shaban felt she was being stalked and the defendant’s behavior was a source of great concern to her as she tried to rebuild her life.”
Phil Bradley, on the defense, stated that Arfan had no previous convictions, had always worked but had “no UK roots”.
When he gave Arfan’s last words to him before the sentencing hearing began, he said the defendant said: ‘I have destroyed the lives of so many people, including my sons, my entire extended family.
Most importantly, I took the life from the woman I loved for so many years.
“If I could bring her back and offer myself in her place, I’d love to, but instead I have the horrific reality that I’m responsible for her death.”
After the sentencing, Marena’s mother said: “The social, emotional and mental consequences of Marena’s tragic death are catastrophic.
“The loss of a child is devastating and no parent ever thinks about the survival of their child.
“Marena was a devoted mother of four with a contagious smile who adored and loved her children and put them first.
“The devastation her children have felt is indescribable.”
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