COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — A second man has been convicted on charges related to the death of an Ohio religious leader who was killed in a botched robbery attempt. Isaiah Brown-Miller, 23, was found guilty on Friday of kidnapping and aggravated robbery in connection with the December 2021 death of Columbus imam Mohamed Hassan Adam, a well-respected figure in the Somali community. His co-defendant had previously been convicted of murder in the case.
Following two mistrials, jurors in Franklin County deliberated for about 14 hours over two days before reaching the guilty verdicts against Brown-Miller. The judge revoked his bail and indicated that he will be sentenced to prison at a later date. Adam, a longtime imam at the Masjid Abu Hurairah mosque in Columbus, was discovered dead from multiple gunshots in a van, two days after he went missing while on a trip to pick up a child from day care.
During the trials, prosecutors alleged that the defendants were attempting to obtain money from Adam and possibly from the mosque’s funds to which the imam had access. However, investigators stated that there was no evidence to suggest that Adam was targeted because of his faith or belonging to the Somali community. Defense attorney Toure McCord sought dismissal of the charges after the second mistrial, arguing that it was unlikely any jury would convict his client. He also pointed to several other individuals who he claimed could be alternative suspects.
Brown-Miller was not charged with murder in the case, while his co-defendant, John Wooden, was convicted of aggravated murder, kidnapping, aggravated robbery, and other charges in Adam’s death. Wooden faces a mandatory life sentence in prison, with at least 20 years before being eligible for parole. One of his attorneys alleged that the prosecution’s case was built on assumptions, and police failed to follow all leads. The judge in the case will sentence Brown-Miller to prison at a later date.