Henrietta man sentenced to life without parole for 2023 murders of parents, sister

(USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect) – A Henrietta man on Tuesday was sentenced to the maximum penalty — life in prison without the possibility of parole — for fatally stabbing his parents and sister inside the family’s Henrietta home in 2023.

Rajab A. Banahi, 43, was convicted last month of three counts of first-degree murder and one count of aggravated criminal contempt following a bench trial in Monroe County Court.

The trial was held in April, and Monroe County Court Judge Michael Dollinger delivered the guilty verdict on June 23, according to the Monroe County District Attorney’s Office.

At Tuesday’s sentencing, Banahi received three concurrent sentences of life without the possibility of parole — one for each murder conviction — meaning he will serve the life sentences at the same time, the district attorney’s office said.

The killings occurred Jan. 11, 2023, during a domestic dispute at the family’s home on Kathy Drive in Henrietta.

Prosecutors said Banahi stabbed his father, Ali Banahi, his mother, Mastoora Banahi, and his sister, Masuda Banahi, multiple times with one or more kitchen knives. He also beat all three victims.

Authorities said Rajab Banahi called 911 and told dispatchers he had stabbed members of his family. He was taken into custody at the scene.