The Plumber's Murder Plot

Mohammad A. H. Mohammed Allegedly Tried to Hire Someone to Erase His Wife and Six Children

Hoover, Alabama is known for its many golf courses, the Riverchase Galleria, and its proximity to Alabama’s best medical school. It is not known for its crime; in fact, not a single homicide occurred among its 92,000 residents in 2023. In fact, the highest-profile crime in Hoover in 2023 never happened; twenty-six-year-old Carlee Russell falsely claimed to have been kidnapped after stopping to check on a diaper-clad toddler wandering alone by the roadway.

sixty-two year old Mohammad A.H. Mohammed

Hoover resident Mohammad A.H. Mohammed, however, wasn’t playing around. The sixty-two-year-old plumber and business owner stands accused of orchestrating a devious murder-for-hire scheme targeting his own family. This case, which unfolded in the Northern District of Alabama, reveals a disturbing tale of domestic turmoil, escalating threats, and a desperate attempt to silence those closest to him.

A Family Torn Apart

Mohammad is the owner of American Plumbing Service, LLC. Married to his wife, S.A., on March 18, 2021, he is the father of six children ranging in age from 21 to 34. The marriage had not been a happy one; police have had numerous interactions with the family, and Mohammad and his wife are in the middle of divorce proceedings.

The first public signs of trouble emerged in November 2021 when Mohammad was arrested by the Hoover Police Department on charges of domestic violence against his 30-year-old daughter, S.Z. While these charges were subsequently dismissed, they marked the beginning of a series of events that would expose the deep-seated issues within the Mohammad household.

Following the domestic violence arrest, three separate Protection from Abuse (PFA) orders were issued against Mohammed in Jefferson County, Alabama. These orders, put in place on November 23, 2021, were designed to protect his wife, S.A., his 29-year-old daughter, H.M., and his 22-year-old son, O.M. The orders explicitly prohibited Mohammed from "assaulting, threatening, abusing, harassing, following, interfering, or stalking" the protected individuals.

The details contained within these PFA documents paint a chilling picture of life inside the Mohammed home. In her petition, S.A. expressed genuine fear of further abuse, stating that Mohammed had threatened to "come after" her. She went on to describe how he had "hurt me and my kids & used weapons against us" and, even more disturbingly, had "said he wanted to shoot my daughter between the eyes."

Further allegations in the PFA paperwork described Mohammad threatening to "lock us in the basement and kill us," and claim that he had "put his hands on my kids and sent them to the emergency room." The documents also alleged that Mohammed had "put a gun and knife against my kids’ heads and throats" and held "shotguns at us." These allegations, if true, indicate a pattern of escalating violence and intimidation within the household.

A Pattern of Stalking and Surveillance

Despite the protection orders in place, Mohammed's behavior escalated. On April 22, 2022, he was arrested by the Hoover Police Department and charged with Stalking in the First Degree, a felony under Alabama state law. The charge stemmed from the discovery of GPS tracking devices on the vehicles of his family members, including his wife, in direct violation of the existing PFA orders.

This incident marked a turning point in the case, demonstrating Mohammad's apparent unwillingness to abide by the court's restrictions and his determination to maintain control over his family's movements. The use of GPS trackers also suggested a level of premeditation and technological savvy that would become a recurring theme in the months to come.

A Series of Suspicious Fires

Next, a series of mysterious incidents began to plague Mohammed's family and friends. On January 3, 2023, Hoover Police and Fire units responded to reports of a vehicle arson at a residence in Hoover. The burned vehicle belonged to a close friend of Mohammad's wife. Surveillance footage captured images of a suspicious vehicle, which investigators later discovered had been purchased by Mohammad.

The very next day, on January 4, 2023, Mohammad's oldest son, I.M., became the target of a similar attack. His silver Ram pickup truck was set ablaze while parked in the driveway of his mother's residence in Hoover. This incident, coming so closely on the heels of the previous arson, raised suspicions about a possible connection between the two events.

The pattern of vehicle fires continued throughout the year. On September 20, 2023, son O.M.'s Toyota 4Runner SUV, along with three other vehicles, was discovered burned in another suspicious fire. Less than three months later, on December 10, 2023, daughter Y.M.'s Toyota Avalon fell victim to yet another apparent arson attack at her residence in Hoover, where she lived with her mother and brother O.M.

Escalation and a Foiled Reconciliation

As the fires continued, so did Mohammad's alleged attempts to track his family's movements. On August 28, 2023, a GPS tracking device was discovered on daughter Y.M.'s car and reported to the Homewood Police Department. Less than a month later, on September 21, 2023, S.A. reported to the Hoover Police Department that she had located two GPS tracking devices on her vehicles. Four days after that, O.M. also found a GPS tracker on his vehicle.

Despite the ongoing legal issues and the series of suspicious fires, it appears that Mohammad may have made an attempt at reconciliation. According to a Hoover Police Department report, on December 9, 2023, S.A. received a call from a man claiming to be acting on Mohammad's behalf, attempting to reconcile the marriage. S.A. was not interested.

Less than 12 hours after this rejected attempt at reconciliation, daughter Y.M.'s Toyota Avalon was set on fire in what appeared to be another act of arson. This timing suggested a possible retaliatory motive and further heightened concerns about the family's safety.

The Murder-for-Hire Plot Unfolds

Things were about to get scarier. On August 21, 2024, the FBI interviewed a cooperating witness, identified as CW1. According to CW1's statement, Mohammad had made repeated requests around August 11, 2024, for CW1 to find someone to "take care of" his family members, including his wife. Fortunately, CW1 contacted the police, who sent in an undercover officer.

The federal criminal complaint states that an undercover FBI agent posed as a hitman and met with Mohammad. During their conversations, Mohammad allegedly detailed the breakdown of his relationship with his wife and children, including his arrests and the instances of arson involving his family members. He offered $20,000 to have his wife killed and $5,000 for the murder of each of his six children. During a meeting with an undercover agent, Mohammad allegedly handed over $550 as a down payment for the murders, with the remaining balance to be paid after the killings were carried out.

Unraveling Motives and Family Dynamics

As the details of Mohammad's alleged crimes came to light, one question loomed large: What could drive a father to allegedly plot against not only his estranged wife but also his adult children? The court documents, while rich in detail about the events, provide limited explicit information about Mohammad's motives. However, a close examination of the pattern of behavior and the family dynamics offers some insights into the possible driving forces behind these disturbing allegations.

The breakdown of Mohammad's marriage appears to be a central factor in the escalating situation. The court documents reveal that Mohammad and his wife, S.A., had been married since March 18, 2021. This relatively recent marriage date, considering the ages of their adult children, suggests a complex family history that may have included previous marriages or partnerships.

The swift deterioration of the relationship is evident in the timeline of events. Within eight months of their marriage, by November 2021, S.A. was seeking a Protection from Abuse order against Mohammad. This rapid shift from newlyweds to estranged spouses hints at underlying issues that may have quickly surfaced or exacerbated after the marriage.

Mohammad's apparent inability to accept the separation and loss of control over his family seems to be a significant motivating factor. The repeated violations of the Protection from Abuse orders, the installation of GPS tracking devices on family members' vehicles, and the suspected arson attacks all point to an individual desperate to maintain surveillance and exert influence over his estranged family members.

The relationship between Mohammad and his children appears to be deeply fraught. The fact that three of Mohammad's adult children - H.M. (29), O.M. (22), and Y.M. (21) - were either named in Protection from Abuse orders or were victims of suspected arson attacks suggests that the family conflict was not limited to Mohammad's relationship with his wife. Instead, it appears that Mohammad's adult children had aligned themselves with their mother, possibly in opposition to their father's behavior.

This family-wide estrangement may help explain why Mohammad's alleged murder-for-hire plot reportedly targeted not just his wife but also other family members. If Mohammad perceived his entire family as having turned against him, he may have developed a mindset that saw them all as threats or betrayers.

It's also worth noting the religious or cultural context that may be at play. In one disturbing exchange recorded by a witness, Mohammad reportedly said, "No, God will reward me," in response to the suggestion that hurting his family would condemn him to hell. This statement hints at a possible belief system or cultural context that Mohammad may have been using to justify his actions, at least to himself.

Given all this, his motive for targeting his adult children may stem from a complex mix of factors:

1. Perceived betrayal: If the children sided with their mother in the family conflict, Mohammad may have seen this as a betrayal that called for retaliation.

2. Control: The plot may have been an extreme attempt to reassert control over the entire family unit.

3. Shame or honor: In some cultural contexts, family conflicts can be seen as bringing shame upon the family patriarch. Mohammad's actions could be a misguided attempt to eliminate what he perceived as sources of shame or dishonor. The FBI's cooperating witness said that Mohammad had told him he was willing to "die for self-dignity" and "die for pride."

4. Escalation of abuse: The alleged murder-for-hire plot may represent an escalation of long-standing abusive behavior, taken to its most extreme conclusion.

While these factors may offer some insight into the possible motives behind Mohammed's alleged actions, they do not in any way justify or excuse them.

Legal Proceedings and Implications

The only bright spot in this entire sordid story is the fact that no one is dead. Like most first-time assassin seekers, he did not get away with it. In fact, most murder-for-hire seekers don’t for the following reasons:

• Because few murder masterminds have a criminal background, they don't know where to find someone willing to kill for money and tend to look to acquaintances, neighbors or other inept or inexperienced individuals to do their dirty work.

• Most acquaintances or neighbors are not willing to do this dirty work and tend to call law enforcement to express their concerns.

• The mastermind has already told every Tom, Dick, and Harry that s/he wishes the target would drop dead and, as a result, immediately becomes the prime suspect when it happens.

Most contract-for-hire plotters are under the mistaken belief that if someone else does the actual killing, they are somehow free from responsibility and/or won't get caught. Nothing could be further from the truth.

The Bottom Line

Based on the evidence gathered, a criminal complaint was filed against Mohammad A.H. Mohammed for violations of 18 U.S.C. § 1958 [Use of Interstate Commerce Facilities in the Commission of Murder-for-Hire]. The case was brought before U.S. Magistrate Judge Staci G. Cornelius in Birmingham, Alabama, on September 23, 2024.

The criminal complaint, supported by an affidavit from FBI Special Agent Gregory Harry, laid out the details of the investigation and the evidence supporting the charges against Mohammad. While Mohammed is presumed innocent until proven guilty, the allegations against him paint a disturbing picture of a family torn apart by violence, fear, and betrayal by a man who was supposed to love and protect them. It will hopefully highlight the issues of domestic violence, the reality of protective orders, and the lengths to which some individuals may go to exert control over their families.

Thank you for reading this issue of The Mind Detective. As always, please pass it along to your true-crime-following friend. If there’s a case you’d like me to cover, please let me know.