The case against a teenager accused of stabbing his cousin in June of 2011 got underway Thursday. That teen is from Afghanistan, but lived with his extended family in Henrietta.

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Faheem Abdul Jaleel, 16, is charged with attempted murder and assault in his cousin Samina's stabbing.

Prosecutor Pat Farrell started presenting his case with deputies who were called to the scene. Farrell says Samina and Faheem got into an argument, and Faheem stabbed her in the neck nine times; at one point, twisting the knife because he said, "he wanted it to hurt."

According to Farrell, Faheem then took Samina's hair and stuffed it in her mouth to keep her quiet. When that didn't work, the prosecution says he covered her mouth with duct tape. Farrell says Faheem then dragged Samina's body to a part of the garage where she was less likely to be seen.

Samina's family eventually found her and her brother, Hashim, who testified Thursday. Hashim said he heard the screams, found his sister, called 911, and put Samina in a car and started driving her to the hospital.

They eventually met up with an ambulance that took Samina to Strong Hospital. Samna spent the next several weeks recovering from injuries the prosecution says nearly killed her.

Farrell say Faheem stabbed his cousin in a violent rage, but defense attorney John Bradley paints a different picture of what happened. He says Samina was the aggressor who came at Faheem with a knife and cornered him in the garage.

Bradley says the two had had arguments before. Samina cut and burned Faheem's clothes and Faheem had called police on Samina before.

Bradley says Faheem was defending himself, turning the knife away, trying to make Samina stop. The defense says Faheem did not want to kill his cousin, who he treated like a sister. Bradley says Faheem was afraid after the incident and ran. He then called police himself and told them to come and get him.

Prosecutors plan to call investigators, evidence technicians, and doctors from Strong to testify in this case, which is expected to last a couple of weeks.