Esam Mohammed Abujoudeh
All charges have been dropped against a Chicago-area man accused of being the driver in Columbus for a killer-for-hire.
Esam Mohammad Abujouedeh, 26, of Oak Forrest, Illinois, had originally been charged with battery resulting in a serious bodily injury as a Level 5 felony, and obstruction of justice as a Level 6 felony.
He was one of four people charged in relation to the death of 37-year-old Leobardo Rodriguez Flores, who was shot and killed Feb. 26, 2020 in the parking lot of his employer, Tool Dynamics, on South Marr Road.
But this month, on Nov. 2, Bartholomew County Prosecutor Lindsey Holden-Kay asked Superior Court 1 Judge James Worton to dismiss all charges against Abujouedeh.
When Worton granted Holden-Kay’s request, the only reason he cited was that it was in the “best interest of justice.”
A conviction on both counts could have resulted in jail time at a year-and-a-half.
Abujouedeh was extradited from Cook County, Illinois, to Bartholomew County on May 12, 2020, which was a little over three months after Flores was killed. His initial hearing before Worton took place three days later.
On May 20, 2020, just five days after the hearing, bond was set at $10,000 for Abujouedeh if he surrendered his passport. Although court documents do not specify if Abujouedeh was born in another country, a probable cause affidavit states he was referred to as “The Arab” by certain witnesses and co-defendants.
The bond for Abujouedeh was lowered further to $3,000 on Sept. 22, 2020. He paid the bond and was released under specific conditions.
Due to a congested court calendar and the COVID-19 pandemic, the court acknowledged hearings for the defendant might have to be delayed. As it turned out, change of plea hearings were scheduled and delayed nine times over three years, according to online court records. While court documents also state Abujouedeh did not show up at three hearings, the court later determined his presence was not necessary.
In contrast, the three co-defendants have been incarcerated since their arrest.
In a plea bargain, Eliel Avelar, 34, who resided in a Chicago neighborhood, pleaded guilty in September to one count of murder. In exchange, 10 other felony charges were dropped. On Oct. 24, Avelar was sentenced to 55 years in prison, which was the maximum Worton could give him under the plea agreement.
In early September, the man who was accused of hiring Avelar to attack Flores, 39-year-old Abraham Jimenez Cesareo of Columbus, received 28 years in prison for robbery resulting in serious bodily injury as a Level 2 felony. He received an additional 12 years for aiding, inducing or causing kidnapping while hijacking a vehicle as a Level 3 felony.
Investigators say Cesareo hired Avelar because he was jealous that Flores was dating Cesareo’s former girlfriend, although the two had not been romantically linked in several months.
A woman who connected Cesareo with Avelar for the attack on Flores, Eladia Jacabo Ortiz, 37, pleaded guilty to aiding, inducing or causing aggravated battery as a Level 3 felony. The Columbus woman could be sentenced from three to 16 years in prison when she goes before Worton at 3:30 p.m. on Dec. 6.
