Alleged Tinley Park Wife-Killer Bahaa Sam Found Fit to Stand Trial

A Tinley Park man charged with beating his wife to death with a metal bar while their young son watched was found sane enough to stand trial for her murder.

Bahaa Sam, 47, appeared before Will County Judge Amy Bertani-Tomczak Thursday morning and learned an evaluation of his mental state showed he is fit to face the murder charges.

READ: Tinley Park Man Charged With Beating Wife to Death Pleads Not Guilty

An interpreter translated the proceedings into Arabic for Sam, who is being held at the Will County jail in lieu of $5 million bond. Sam was represented by Palos Park attorney John Eannace.

, police said. Officers reportedly found Nermeen Sam face-down in the grass, covered in blood. A weightlifter's bar was next to her body, police said.

The cops then went inside and ran into the Sams' blood-spattered 4-year-old son.

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Sam had been arrested twice before for allegedly beating his wife. The first time, in 2005, he was found not guilty of domestic battery following a trial in front of Judge Jeff Allen but was convicted of resisting police. The second time, following a June arrest, he pleaded guilty and took a sentence of 12 months court supervision.

The deadly December attack was prompted by an argument between the couple over Bahaa Sam's lack of employment, officials said. During the dispute, Bahaa Sam tried to stop his wife from leaving their home, and she bit his finger, a prosecutor said at a previous hearing. Bahaa Sam then allegedly chased her outside and beat her to death with the weightlifter's bar.

Read Tinley Park Patch's Complete Coverage of the Bahaa Sam Case:

• Police: Husband Charged With Murder in Wife's Death in Brookside Glen
• Domestic Abuse: How to Help a Loved One Who's a Victim
• Fund Established for Sam Children

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