A North Texas judge has set a February 22 trial date for Dennis Day, the man accused of strangling his roommate, American Airlines flight attendant Rana Nofal, and disposing of her body in Montague County more than a year ago.
Nofal was first reported missing in March 2025. Court documents allege that Day told investigators Nofal had been recording him on video and threatened to contact police when he snapped and strangled her with his bare hands on the kitchen floor of their shared home.
According to authorities, Day then contacted a friend named Joni Thomas and the two allegedly drove to Montague County and dumped Nofal’s body from a bridge into the water below.
Her remains were not discovered until June 2026, when a fisherman came across them. DNA testing confirmed her identity on September 15 of this year, finally giving her family the ability to lay her to rest.
Nofal’s sister Sasha Job, who lives in Houston, said the burial was an agonizing experience. “She’s been in the water and so there was not much there. We couldn’t see anything but it was difficult. It was hard” Job said.
Job and other family members have made the drive from Houston to attend court hearings every month since the case began. She described her older sister as a generous and kind-hearted person who was always willing to help those around her.
The family is now focused on seeing Day convicted and sentenced. Job said the hardest part of this entire ordeal has been the waiting. “I think that’s the hard part, is when we’re going to get the words of okay you’re guilty and you’re staying in there for however long” she said.
Job also revealed she has been eager to face Day directly in the courtroom, noting that the two spoke frequently by phone during the period when Day was pretending to help search for Nofal despite allegedly knowing she was already dead.
Day was formally indicted for Nofal’s murder and has been awaiting trial. Wednesday’s hearing moved the case forward with the February date now locked in.
Nofal’s family says they will continue showing up to every court date until justice is delivered for the woman they describe as someone who spent her life caring for others.