Lora Khalifeh: Burwood woman shot victim in the leg after doing her makeup, giving her cocaine
A Burwood woman shot her ‘friend’ in the leg after doing her makeup at a cocaine-filled apartment, before attempting to smash her phone and cover up the crime.
The Express
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A cocaine and make-up session between two female acquaintances in a Burwood unit ended with a bullet through the leg, after concerns were raised about the victim’s history with the shooter’s boyfriend.
Burwood woman Lora Khalifeh, 26, who also goes by Laura Ezaria, believed the victim had been ‘spreading rumours about her’ and was being coy about knowing Khalifeh’s boyfriend, agreed facts tendered to Burwood Local Court state.
Khalifeh showed off a silver 9mm CZ 85 semiautomatic pistol to the woman at 8:30pm on September 7, 2021, as she picked her up from another gathering so they could do drugs in the car together.
The 26-year-old then dropped the woman off before they met up again after 5am at the Burwood home of Khalifeh’s boyfriend, Alyies Sadiq.
At the apartment, Khalifeh did the victim’s makeup and they consumed cocaine together.
According to agreed facts, a comment made by the victim when Sadiq started searching for a bag led Khalifeh to believe the victim knew her boyfriend, and demanded to search the victim’s phone.
The victim said “I have nothing to hide” before handing over the phone, agreed facts state.
Khalifeh then refused multiple requests to return the victim’s phone, even leaving the apartment for a period of time with it, before returning and sitting in a bedroom with one of Sadiq’s friends.
When Khalifeh called out for cigarettes the victim walked into the room and threw a pack on the bed. The room was tense and silent before a loud bang erupted, agreed facts state.
The victim looked down and saw her leg bleeding before feeling the pain.
“Did you just shoot me?”, she asked. “What the f**k did I do?”
She fell to the floor, her leg bleeding profusely and losing strength, before Sadiq helped her to the bathroom.
At this point, the victim demanded her phone back and threatened to scream at the top of her lungs if it wasn’t returned. Instead, Khalifeh walked into the bathroom and smashed the phone against the floor, agreed facts state.
By luck, the phone was cracked but still working, and the victim called her friends, telling them she had just been shot and to come pick her up immediately.
CCTV images from the lobby of the apartment building submitted to court as evidence show Sadiq carrying the gunshot victim out of the building while Khalifeh peeks her head out of the elevator.
Sadiq then verbally abused a cleaner about the blood in the lobby and demanded they clean it. Intercepted calls detailed in agreed facts reveal the duo’s attempts to clean up the crime scene.
Police arrived at the apartment to speak with Sadiq and Khalifeh at 7.40pm the same day and arrested the pair.
When searching the BMW they were found in, officers found a pink handbag with Khalifeh’s ID which also contained a 9mm round, the same type used in the shooting.
After being arrested, Sadiq asked for his shoes back which had been confiscated by officers. Agreed facts state the officers began removing the laces — which is a protocol for people in custody — when a 9mm round fell out of a shoe.
The gun used in the crime, a magazine, and bullet from the chamber were found in the orange Toyota Corolla in a downstairs garage of the unit complex.
Sadiq was charged with detaining the woman, hindering the discovery of evidence, and accessory after the fact to reckless grievous bodily harm. He pleaded guilty to accessory after the fact, and the remaining charges were withdrawn.
Khalifeh was charged with wounding a person with intent to cause grievous bodily harm, discharge firearm with intent to cause grievous bodily harm and detaining a person in company to obtain advantage. She pleaded guilty to reckless grievous bodily harm, and the remaining charges were dropped.
The victim suffered multiple fractures in her femur, muscular damage, and haematoma. The bullet narrowly missed a major artery, which could have been limb or life threatening, agreed facts state.
Khalifeh and Sadiq will learn their sentences at Sydney District Court on September 23.
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