Months after Bahsid McLean from the Bronx brutally murdered and beheaded his mother, Tanya Byrd, the mother of his child, Zarah Coombs, murdered their 4-year-old son, Zamair.
The Murder of Tanya Byrd
Zamair was three months old in February 2013 when his father, Bahsid McLean repeatedly stabbed his mother, Tonya Byrd, in the neck, dismembered her body into pieces with a saw, photographed himself holding her decapitated head and posted it to Facebook, and then stuffed the pieces into three plastic garbage bags.
He then placed each bag of body parts into duffel bags and scattered them throughout locations in the Bronx. The first duffel bag, discovered by a dog walker, contained a dismembered head. The second bag contained portions of her torso and shoulders and the third bag held portions of an arm and a leg.
Bahsid did not act alone. He told police that his friend, 26-year-old William Harris, stabbed the 45-year-old home health aide while he dismembered her body. He claimed he felt “obligated” to dismember the body. “If you can kill somebody, you should be able to cut them up too,” McLean said on tape. “If you can’t do that if you don’t have the stomach to cut them up, then you’re a coward,” Bahsid said.
Bahsid’s Troubled Life
Bashid lived with his mother after separating from Zamair’s mother, Vera McLean, who later changed her name to Zarah Coombs. He was serving probation after assaulting two police officers in 2010. Before the horrific murder, Bashid led a troubled life. He harbored anger toward his mother, and his actions often terrified her. Bashid set fires, destroyed property, and lashed out often. Tanya suspected Bahsid was assaulting his 7-year-old brother, Nasyr, who lived with Down’s syndrome. He lived in different mental facilities as a child and was supposed to take medication daily to treat mental illness, including schizophrenia.
A Missing Person Report, Body Parts, and an Arrest
Bahsid filed a missing person report on his mother with the Bronx precinct of the NYPD after cleaning up the scene. Police officers followed up on the report at the Bronx apartment. They immediately noticed the bleach smell, leading them to suspect Bahsid knew more than he told them.
After detectives told Bahsid they had found his mother’s head, he made a full confession to the crime. Police took him into custody, and arrested William Harris on charges related to the murder.
Bahsid claimed William killed his mother and threatened his and his younger brother’s life if he did not help dismember and dispose of the body. He claimed he assisted William out of fear and confessed that he drained his mother’s blood in the bathtub before dismembering her body.
A search of the home revealed a saw, latex gloves, and a shopping cart detectives believe Bahsid used to transport his mother’s dismembered body to different locations around the Bronx. The apartment smelled heavily of bleach and had been meticulously scrubbed. The shower curtain was missing from the bathroom.
Assistant District Attorney Aaron Kaplan asserted that Bahsid stabbed his mother after an argument when she told him that he was a bad father and wanted him to move out of the house. He left the apartment they shared, purchased a power saw, and then carried out the horrific murder.
During Bahsid’s trial, he testified that he heard voices, a problem he experienced since childhood. Despite his lawyers hoping for a “not guilty by reason of insanity” verdict, Bahsid was found guilty of second-degree murder, unlawful dissection of a human body, and second-degree assault. He was sentenced to 25 years to life in prison. He currently serves his time at the Clinton Correctional Facility where he is eligible for parole in 2039.
Bahsid’s Son Murdered
Bahsid and Zarah Coombs had a short but troubled relationship. After she became pregnant, the couple separated and Zarah found love with another man, Jamar Richardson. The couple were the parents of two children of their own. In January 2017, police were called to the couple’s home after he found Zamair unresponsive in a plastic tote filled with water.
Zanaur had fallen unconscious after Zarah beat him with a broomstick. She filled the plastic tote with water and placed him inside of it while she tended to her 1-year-old and breastfed her newborn. Paramedics found Zamair clinging to life, with his head underwater in the tote. Doctors did all they could to save Zamair’s life. Sadly, he succumbed to his injuries the following day.
Doctors and nurses discovered numerous bruises and abrasions across Zamair’s body, indicative of prolonged prior abuse. During a police interrogation, Zarah confessed to beating Jamair to death with a broomstick. She admitted that she stuck his body in the tote filled with water for “an extended time.” Zarah claimed financial troubles caused her to lash out at Zamair. Zarah was sentenced to 17 years in prison and serves her time at Bedford Hills Correctional Facility.
