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Mass. Husband, Woman Charged In Murder Of Wife In N.J.

A man who was injured in a shooting that killed his wife earlier this week was charged with her murder Friday, along with a Massachusetts woman who authorities said also was at the scene.

Kashif Parvaiz suffered non-life-threatening wounds in the attack in Boonton, N.J., that killed his 27-year-old wife, Nazish Noorani. They were walking with their 3-year-old son to a relative's house when shots rang out Tuesday night.

Parvaiz and 26-year-old Antoinette Stephen, of Billerica, Mass., both face charges of murder, conspiracy and weapons offenses. He also faces child-endangerment charges.

According to Morris County Prosecutor Robert Bianchi, Parvaiz' initial accounts of the attack were inconsistent and immediately raised suspicions. Parvaiz had told investigators the couple was attacked by a different combination of black and white males who shouted ethnic slurs at the Pakistani couple, authorities said.

Bianchi didn't characterize the relationship between Stephen and Parvaiz, but investigators wrote in an arrest affidavit that Parvaiz and his wife had a turbulent relationship. Authorities said he met Stephen in Brooklyn and the two discussed the murder plot.

Bianchi wouldn't say who pulled the trigger.

The affidavit quotes a text message from Noorani to her brother in which she wrote "Someday u will find me dead but its cuz of kashi ... He wants to kill me."

Bianchi said Friday that Parvaiz, who has been in the hospital, was arrested "a few days ago." Stephen was arrested Thursday night in Massachusetts. Parvaiz was being held on $1 million bail, while Stephen was awaiting extradition and being held on $5 million bail.

Noorani was a native of Karachi, Pakistan, while Parvaiz was originally from Brooklyn, relatives have said. The couple were wed in an arranged marriage six years ago. Their 3-year-old son was not injured in the shooting. They were in the New Jersey community visiting relatives.

Parvaiz told family he was attending graduate school at Harvard, but the school has no record of him studying there.

This program aired on August 19, 2011. The audio for this program is not available.

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