VANCOUVER, Wash. — The case surrounding Mike Entezari might be one of the most interesting we’ve investigated. When he went on trial in 1990, he faced a charge of first degree murder. The case against him was largely based on circumstantial evidence.
No one saw Mike shoot his estranged wife, Effie Entezari, and there was no direct evidence tying him to the murder. The prosecutor even admitted all of this in his opening statements.
Yet Mike received a sentence of 25 years in prison, and served for 16 years. There were so many conflicting stories and theories presented throughout the trial from dozens of witnesses.
Attorneys spent time picking apart Mike’s whereabouts the morning of the murder. He had no alibi or anyone to vouch for where he was around the time of the murder. Mike told investigators he was at home when Effie was shot.
After Effie’s murder, some of her family members told investigators Effie had confided in them that she was afraid of Mike, and that he wanted her dead.
A couple who rented one of Mike and Effie’s rental homes also told police that Mike once said something to the effect of, "In Iran, if a woman wants to leave a marriage, she leaves with nothing. And a man can have her executed." Mike denied all of this.
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