Man convicted of murder in 2022 death of Rancho Peñasquitos woman

The San Diego County Superior Court in downtown San Diego. (File photo by Chris Stone/Times of San Diego) Jurors on Friday convicted a man of second-degree murder of a Rancho Peñasquitos woman, a case that drew scrutiny of how police handled 911 calls the night she was killed. Jurors deliberated for just over three days before finding Parrish Juan Chambers Jr., 47, guilty for the June 2022 death of Nahal Connie Dadkhah, 45. Prosecutors alleged Chambers smashed through a window to gain access to Dadkhah’s home and beat her to death. Chambers’ defense attorney, Abram Genser, argued any injuries Chambers may have inflicted were not life-threatening and said Dadkhah died instead of a brain bleed caused by excessive methamphetamine use. Genser told jurors his client and Dadkhah were in a toxic, romantic relationship and that on the night of June 14, an intoxicated Chambers entered the residence, where an “altercation” occurred. He said, though, that the pair made up afterwards. Dadkhah was found dead on a couch inside her Twin Trails Drive home on the morning of June 15 after Chambers told one of her neighbors that she wasn’t breathing and asked him to call 911. Several neighbors, however, had called 911 on the night of June 14 to report a disturbance. Officers who responded to the condo ultimately did not enter the residence and left the scene, sparking public criticism and a lawsuit from Dadkhah’s family. In a news release announcing Chambers’ arrest, police said officers went to the condo on a report of a disturbance there involving Chambers, but left after being unable to confirm a crime had occurred or being able to make contact with anyone inside. The trial was Chambers’ second following Dadkhah’s death. Last year, another San Diego jury acquitted him of first-degree murder, but deadlocked after more than three days of deliberation on lesser counts of second-degree murder and involuntary manslaughter. The same jury did, however, convict Chambers of battery and false imprisonment for other prior altercations in which prosecutors said Chambers pushed, grabbed and choked Dadkhah. After her death, an autopsy revealed blunt force injuries to Dadkhah’s head and more than 50 bruises and cuts, Deputy District Attorney Trisha Amador said. Genser argued those injuries did not contribute to her death and that there was no evidence of a beating taking place in the condo. The defense attorney said a fatal beating would have resulted in the presence of Dadkhah’s blood. Any blood found in the condo, he said, was due to his client cutting himself on the broken window. Chambers is slated to be sentenced in November.