Today, the Washington Post had a nice scoop on the Pizza Mart murder, writing that the motive for the killing of Shahabuddin Rana wasn't robbery but involved a complicated immigration scheme. WaPo writes:

"At first, the slaying of Shahabuddin Rana, 44, inside his Pizza Mart in the 2300 block of Fourth Street NE appeared to have stemmed from a conventional robbery, police said. But they said a bizarre story took shape in the days afterward, leading to the arrest Friday of Shanika Robinson, 26, of Capitol Heights.

In an affidavit filed in D.C. Superior Court, Detective Robert Cephas said a witness told him that Rana had been paying Robinson to continue in a sham marriage with his brother, a Pakistani national who helps run the Pizza Mart in the Edgewood neighborhood. The scheme was intended to improve the brother's immigration status and help him eventually get his green card, the affidavit says.

The deal fell apart, however, after the brother, whom police have not publicly identified, found out that Robinson "was having sexual affairs," Cephas wrote. Even though the brother and Robinson were married only on paper and did not live together, Rana "became upset" with Robinson and told her "that she would not be getting paid the money that they agreed upon anymore," the affidavit says."

City Desk has the affidavit which you can read [PDF].

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On Tuesday afternoon, the body of Shahabuddin Rana, 44, was found inside his Pizza Mart shop located along the 2300 block of 4th Street NE. Rana's homicide was complicated by reports of a small fire near his body and by the fact that the D.C. Police Department would not say how he died. DCist and WJLA have followed the murder closely.

Today, City Desk called the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in an effort to clear up the mystery behind Rana's murder. The medical examiner was able to provide the answer.

Rana died from "blunt head trauma" as well as "stab and incised wounds," according to the office's spokesperson Beverly Fields.

Read More "Pizza Mart Owner Died From ‘Blunt Head Trauma,’ Stab Wounds" »