2nd suspect convicted of kidnapping, robbery in 2021 abduction, slaying of Ohio imam

Columbus, Ohio — A second man has been convicted on charges in the death of an Ohio religious leader who authorities say was killed in a botched robbery.

Isaiah Brown-Miller, 23, was convicted Friday of kidnapping and aggravated robbery in his third trial in the December 2021 death of 48-year-old Columbus Imam Mohamed Hassan Adam, a prominent figure in the Somali community. A co-suspect in this case was previously convicted of murder.

Jurors in Franklin County deliberated for about 14 hours over two days and reported deadlock twice before reaching the guilty verdicts, the Columbus Dispatch reported. The judge revoked his bail and will sentence him to prison at a later date. Previous trials in February and June had ended in non-judicial proceedings after jurors could not reach a verdict.

Adam, a longtime imam at the Masjid Abu Hurairah Mosque on Columbus’ northeast side, was found dead of multiple gunshots in a van in December 2021, two days after he went missing while on a trip to pick up a child from the daycare.

Franklin County prosecutors alleged during the trials of the two men that the defendants were trying to get money from Adam and possibly from the mosque’s funds to which the imam had access. Investigators previously said there was no evidence Adam was targeted because of his faith or because he was a member of the Somali community.

Attorney Toure McCord had asked for the charges to be dismissed after the second mistrial, saying it was unlikely a jury would convict his client. He said in final arguments in the third trial that prosecutors had failed to prove his client was involved in any way and pointed to several people he said could be alternative suspects.

Brown-Miller was not charged with murder in the case. Another jury in October convicted his co-defendant, 47-year-old John Wooden, of aggravated murder, kidnapping, aggravated robbery and other charges in Adam’s death. He faces a mandatory life sentence and at least 20 years before he is eligible for parole. One of his attorneys, Paul Scarsella, argued that the prosecution’s case against Wooden was based on assumptions and that police had not followed all the leads.