Lang
3/11/22
An Iowa City murder suspect has reached a plea deal with prosecutors.
23-year-old Sammy Hamed agreed to the deal during a Friday court appearance. He’s accused of shooting and killing 19-year-old Quincy Russom in a Governor Street apartment in February of 2021. Hamed was found shortly after the shooting with several of Russom’s possessions, including his phone. Forensic testing matched a gun found on Hamed’s person to shells found inside the apartment where Russom was shot.
Hamed was initially charged with 1st Degree Murder, a Class A Felony punishable by life in prison. On Friday he pleaded guilty to a lesser charge of 2nd Degree Murder, which carries a maximum sentence of 50 years behind bars.
On Friday, Judge Andrew Chappell set a sentencing hearing for May 6th.
Hamed has multiple previous theft and drug convictions.
A resident of the apartment where Russom was killed, 21-year-old Mazin Mohamedali, faces a May 10th trial on an Accessory After the Fact charge after police say he lied to investigators about how many people were involved in the shooting and the identity of the shooter. The local Black Lives Matter protest leader also allegedly gave false descriptions of made-up suspects and failed to call 9-1-1 to report the shooting in a timely manner. Police say with the proper information, Hamed could have been arrested shortly after the murder. Instead, he was taken into custody almost ten days later.
Mohamedali faces a maximum of two years in jail, if convicted. The onetime Iowa Freedom Riders leader also faces a May 3rd trial on numerous felony charges after police say he sold drugs out of the residence.
Mohamdali’s alleged crimes would violate his probation on a 2018 armed robbery conviction.