Crime Beat podcast: ‘If I can’t have you… no one can’ — the murder of Nadia El-Dib

In episode three of Global News podcast Crime Beat, crime reporter Nancy Hixt tells a story of deadly infatuation.

Follow along as Hixt explains how a young woman was targeted — simply because she spurned a young man’s advances.

Nadia El-Dib’s body was found in a Calgary woman’s backyard March 25, 2018. She was attacked by her ex-boyfriend.

El-Dib, 22, was stabbed dozens of times and shot twice.

Police called her death an “execution.”

The El-Dib family said Nadia had broken things off with Adam Bettahar, and she had no idea he had continued to pursue her.

“This was very much a situation of, ‘If I can’t have you, nobody else can,’” El-Dib’s sister Racha said.

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "This was very much a situation of, 'If I can't have you, nobody else can,'" El-Dib's sister Racha said.

Bettahar fled the city and a manhunt began.

A warrant was issued for Bettahar’s arrest — he was wanted for the first-degree murder of Nadia.

After several days on the run, Bettahar was spotted by an RCMP officer on his way home from work.

Police tried to get Bettahar to pull over. Instead, he led officers on an hour-long high-speed chase.

Two police officers were shot by Bettahar but survived. Bettahar was killed in the shootout.

WATCH: A veteran Alberta RCMP officer gunned down in a 2018 shootout with a killer on the run is speaking out for the first time — exclusively with Global News. Nancy Hixt reports on the case that all began with deadly infatuation.

1:44 Veteran Alberta RCMP officer speaks out for first time since being shot

One of the officers hit was veteran RCMP Sgt. Brian Topham. The bullet grazed the back of his head. Had it been just one or two milimetres lower, he would likely have been killed.

Topham has never done an interview about the incident — until now. Topham spoke exclusively with Global News for this podcast.

“I was actually fairly fortunate. It was kind of the round went through the door just as I was… exiting the vehicle,” Topham said.

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "I was actually fairly fortunate. It was kind of the round went through the door just as I was… exiting the vehicle," Topham said.

Topham provides information about the shooting, never before reported, and he explains a unique bond he now shares with the El-Dib family.

Check out episode three of Crime Beat for all the behind-the-scenes details of the El-Dib case.

Anyone needing help with violence or abuse in an intimate relationship is encouraged to reach out for help by calling Connect Family & Sexual Abuse Network at 403 -237-5888 (Toll Free: 1-877-237-5888), the 24-hour Family Violence Helpline at 403-234-SAFE (7233), or 211.

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Contact:

Twitter: @nancyhixt

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NancyHixtCrimeBeat/

Email: nancy.hixt@globalnews.ca

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