Teresa had worked at a Woolworth's when they first moved to the US, but after their first child arrived she became a stay-at-home mother. For the couple's first decade of marriage, she dressed in traditional Middle Eastern clothing and adhered to her homeland's strict cultural norms. They spoke Arabic at home and their marriage appeared to be entirely amicable with the two only having trivial disagreements. Elias always made sure to call home when he was away on a business trip and ask how everyone was doing.

After moving to Charlotte, Teresa announced that she wanted to go back to working. Elias accepted and bought her a second car for her own use. She was employed at a restaurant for three months and then began working at a gas station. The trouble began here when Teresa, after over a decade in America, apparently felt confident enough to fully assimilate into her adopted home and began dressing in normal American clothing, wearing makeup, and accumulating a circle of female friends. Her husband did not like this and argued with her over it. For one week in June 1988 Teresa and the children stayed at a battered women's shelter before going to live with her sister in New Jersey, where they stayed a month before returning home.

By 1990 their arguments started escalating. Teresa complained that Elias let the kids eat junk food instead of properly nourishing meals. The arguments culminated in him grabbing his wife's throat and yelling that he would kill her. He also disciplined the kids harshly; for example they had a strict curfew of 5:00 PM. When their eldest daughter Rose accidentally scratched the paint on her father's new van, he grabbed and kicked her in the driveway as neighbors watched from across the street. Eventually Teresa managed to separate the two. Elias told his wife he'd kill her if she ever left him.