Esam Mohammed Abujoudeh
A series of hearings for a man allegedly involved in a murder-for-hire shooting has been delayed in Bartholomew Superior Court 1.
Esam Mohammed Abujoudeh, 25, Oak Forest, Illinois is charged with aiding, inducing or causing battery resulting in serious bodily injury, a Level 5 felony, and obstruction of justice as a Level 6 felony. If convicted on both counts, he faces a sentence of up to eight-and-a-half years in prison, as well as fines of up to $20,000.
Abujoudeh is the only one of four co-defendants not charged with murder in the death of 37-year-old Leobardo Rodriguez Flores. But investigators say Abujoudeh, referred to as ‘The Arab’ by co-defendants, did drive the vehicle that transported the alleged murderer to a parking lot where the victim was killed.
A change of plea hearing for Abujoudeh was originally scheduled for Monday. Instead, new court dates were set that include a change of plea hearing on Monday, April 25 at 9:15 a.m.; a pre-trial conference on Monday, May 9 at 11 am, and a tentative trial date of May 24, with jury selection starting at 8:30 a.m.
According to a probable cause affidavit, co-defendant Abraham Jimenez Cesareo, 37, hired Chicago resident Eliel Avelar, 32, to come to Columbus and physically harm Flores because he was jealous the victim was dating his ex-girlfriend,
Evidence given to police by Cesareo’s ex-girlfriend, who told investigators her former boyfriend battered her, included multiple phone recordings where Cesareo could be heard offering a man $2,000 to break Flores’ bones, the affidavit states.. But the man refused Cesareo’s offer, court documents state.
Another defendant, Eladia Jacobo Ortiz, 35, said she introduced Cesareo to a Chicago resident, Eliel Avelar, on Feb. 10, 2020. After receiving money from both Cesareo and Ortiz, Alevar agreed to hurt Flores, the probable cause affidavit states.
Like Abujoudeh, there have also been six postponements in the case against Ortiz, who is facing a charge of aiding, inducing or causing murder – which carries the same penalty as murder. She’s scheduled for a change of plea hearing on May 2 at 9 a.m.; a pre-trial conference starting at 11 a.m. on May 16, and a jury trial on May 31, beginning with jury selection at 8:30 a.m.
After dropping Ortiz off at her job the night of the killing, Abujoudeh helped Avelar, 33, track down Flores in the parking lot of his employer, Tool Dynamics, located at 835 South Marr Road.
Avelar approached the victim with a .45 caliber handgun as Flores was getting out of his car to start work, the affidavit stated. The victim was shot as he bent down, the affidavit states. Avelar then took the victim’s money and vehicle to make the killing appear to be a robbery, according to the court document.
Threatening phone and text messages from Avelar, who was demanding more money, led to the arrests, according to court documents. During her interview, Ortiz identified Avelar as the person hired to hurt Flores, while Cesareo identified Avelar as the man that he paid $2,000, the affidavit states.
On Oct. 29, 2020, Avelar pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter. The plea agreement stipulated that Avelar would receive a 17½ year prison sentence only if he agreed to ruthfully testify against his three co-defendants before Judge James Worton.
If Avelar does not testify or commits perjury, Worton can reject the plea agreement and order him to be tried on all six felonies and three misdemeanors that, if found guilty, would likely keep him in prison for the rest of his life in prison.
Avelar is still scheduled for a change of plea hearing on March 14 at 10:45 a.m.; a pre-trial conference on March 21 at 11 a.m., and a tentative jury trial beginning at 8:30 a.m. on April 15.
Last October, Bartholomew County Prosecutor Bill Nash announced his intention to seek the death penalty against Cesareo, who allegedly instigated the entire murder-for-hire scheme.
