HOUSTON — The young woman from Nepal found murdered inside her southwest Houston apartment last month was laid to rest Monday evening in a traditional Hindu funeral ceremony.
The body of Muna Pandey was discovered two weeks ago. She had been shot four times: three times in the torso and once in the back of the head, "execution style," prosecutors said.
Pandey's mother arrived in Houston late last week from Nepal to say goodbye to her only child.
"I was very happy when she came to America and she moved to Houston for me," said Pandey's best friend to the room full of mourners.
Pandey's friend, who asked that we not use her name, has known her since the pair were 10-year-old girls in Nepal.
"I was hoping that for the rest of my life, we'd be inseparable like we were," she said.
Pandey's friend said she still cannot believe any of this is real.
"I just think she's going to text me again," Pandey's friend said. "It just hasn't hit me yet."
The body of Muna Pandey was found inside her apartment on Aug. 26. She had been dead for two days.
Pandey's security cameras caught video of her outside of her unit with a man who had a gun.
Prosecutors say Pandey is heard asking the man, "What are you going to do?"
The man responds by racking the slide of the pistol, and tells her, "Open the door."
Two days after Pandey's body was found, the man was identified as Bobby Shah, 51. Shah was arrested and charged with capital murder.
"Let's not blame somebody who's already dead," Pandey's friend said.
The friend said rumors about some type of relationship between Pandey and Bobby Shah are simply untrue.
She says Pandey never mentioned Shah, and she would have known because she said they shared everything.
"What was the motive?" Vice president of the Nepalese Association Houston Drona Gautam asks. "That is the answer we're waiting for."
Gautam helped organize the funeral ceremony and said about half of the people who attended knew Pandey and the others were strangers touched by the tragedy.
Gautam said according to the Hindu religion, Pandey's killer will face justice, now or later.
"Karma, basically; yeah, and all religions say that," Gautam said. "Karma."