Franklin County Jury Finds John Wooden Guilty of the 2021 Murder of Mohamed Hassan Adam

Posted on 10/26/2023

Defendant: John Wooden

The Franklin County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office secured guilty verdicts on all charges against John Wooden, 47, for the 2021 murder of Mohamed Hassan Adam. Wooden, of Columbus, was found guilty of numerous counts, including aggravated murder, kidnapping, aggravated robbery and weapons specifications. Assistant Prosecuting Attorneys Jack Wong and Debra Gorrell prosecuted the case for the prosecutor’s office.

Adam was an imam at the Masjid Abu Hurairah mosque and a leader in the local Muslim and Somali communities. Prosecutors demonstrated to the jury that Wooden and his accomplice, Isaiah Brown-Miller, kidnapped, robbed and fatally shot Adam Dec. 22, 2021 in a vacant lot in Columbus’ South Linden neighborhood.

“Imam Adam was a pillar of the Somali community, and we are relieved the jury held the defendant accountable for his brutal murder,” said Anthony Pierson, deputy chief counsel for the Franklin County Prosecutor’s Office. “I’m grateful to the Columbus Division of Police for tracking Wooden down and to our two prosecutors who were able to convict him.”

Franklin County Common Pleas Court Judge Richard Frye will sentence Wooden Dec. 15.