Back at the convenience store where Jessica filled up her car, Ali Fahdel, the store’s clerk, noticed that she spent more time than usual filling her tank. She even told Ali that she was on her way to meet someone, but he didn’t ask her who.

Unfortunately for Ali, because his name got involved in the case, people started accusing him of nasty things. Some called him an Islamic terrorist. Others accused him of being involved in gangs. Although the police cleared Ali, he avoided further interviews because of the threats he had been getting.