Slain Chapel Hill woman's children to live in Africa

Hillsborough, N.C. — The children of a woman who was gunned down last week outside a Chapel Hill elementary school will move to Tunisia to live with their maternal grandparents, a District Court judge ordered Thursday.

Ali Cherfaoui, the children's father, has been charged with first-degree murder in Chanaz Kebaier's death.

He agreed to the judge's order during a custody hearing at the Orange County Courthouse in Hillsborough.

A lawyer for the children said the family simply wants the best for them.

"Our main goal is just to protect (them) as much as we can and to get as much of what they're entitled to, so that they have funds available within the family (to) raise these children as Chanaz would have wanted them raised," attorney Donna Ambler Rice said.

The children's ages have not been released, but they both attended Mary Scroggs Elementary, where the shooting happened May 25. Court records show that Cherfaoui and Kebaier were in the middle of a nasty split.

Earlier this week, a judge barred Cherfaoui from having any contact with his children or Kebaier's family.

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Why is this a liberal issue? This mother was gunned down like an animal. These people are in this country legally and should be subject to the same laws and security as any other citizen. However she did meet the one statistic that is very true. Like most women who are murdered she knew her attacker.

andy2
June 1, 2012 2:48 p.m.

Meant to say "WE GIVE AWAY" sorry.

dogphartlives
June 1, 2012 2:27 p.m.

Wendellcatlover - Legally, he could have fought the custody claim from the grandparents, leading to a messy and expensive series of hearings. His extended family could also make a claim to custody. Instead, he agreed, which means the maternal grandparents get custody quickly and easily. So, not so much that there was any question as to the grandparents getting the kids in the end, just a lot easier since he went ahead and agreed.

mpheels
June 1, 2012 2:04 p.m.

Oh, no, tmed1938, you couldn't be more wrong. Attorney Donna Ambler Rice (no photo), who didn't know they breathed last week, is now determined that the kids be raised the way SHE KNOWS their mother would have wanted. This isn't an autograb for money, no matter how much it appears to be or how much it would help her career to be known as the lawyer who gets you cash.

Why in heck does our money follow a couple kids to Africa when they will probably never return, much less "give back" (libs love that empty phrase) into the system?

storchheim
June 1, 2012 1:16 p.m.

@ tmed1938 who said it was gonna be tax money...You never know what the mother had put aside for the welfare of her children...Such as insurances etc... don't jump to conclusion and futher more these are innocent children that has lost there mother due to a jealous outraged husband....I really feel sorry for these two little ones...And i hope that they can get counseling for the understanding of why their mother is not here each and every night to read and tuck them into bed. My heartfelt prayers goes out to this family !!!

tlwilliams1237
June 1, 2012 1:08 p.m.