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Man Guilty Of Killing Wife, Son & Shooting Lawyer Makes Odd Request In Court

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MIAMI (CBSMiami) – The man guilty of killing his wife and son, and also shooting his lawyer five times, made a strange request in court as a judge sentenced him to life in prison.

"I'm 14 years in Florida, working seven days to give my family the American dream," Fadel Jabado said.

In court Friday, Jabado was ready to admit he's guilty of killing his wife Bassima and their adult son Ahmed, as well as shooting at Kendall attorney Larry Harshman five times and shooting at two police officers.

But before entering his plea deal, he made an odd request. He wanted the judge to allow him to get out of prison when he's in his mid-70s to go on a pilgrimage to Mecca.

"If God will, Allah gives us life, 76, I would like if it's possible to allow me to go to pilgrimage," he said.

Instead, the judge told him to wait until after his life sentence.

"You're not getting out, it's life," the judge said. "If you're asking me as a person of faith, I do believe that in the next life you will see Allah, you will see the profit, but you gotta count on that.  You can't make that a factor that I'm going to have a pilgrimage to Mecca."

Then the judge explained Jabado will spend the rest of his life in prison.

"As part of the plea it's mandatory, day for day, for the rest of your life," the judge said.

Harshman and his family did not show up for sentencing. Instead, his wife had prosecutors read a letter. She reiterated what she told CBS4 News months ago that she was stunned when she heard Jabado was the man who pulled the trigger.

"He was a previous client. Larry saved his home for free and he was very happy," she said in November of 2016.

With that, the judge handed down the sentence.

"I'm now going to sentence you to life in prison," the judge said.

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