Topline: He described his children as ‘trash’ and said God would ‘reward’ him for the murders, court records show.
Published: September 29, 2025 8:00 am ET
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Mohammed A.H. Mohammed (via Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office)
BIRMINGHAM, AL — An Alabama man has pleaded guilty in federal court to a chilling plot to have his wife and six adult children murdered, a plan he orchestrated over months and attempted to execute with the help of someone he believed was a professional killer.
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Alabama, 64-year-old Mohammad A.H. Mohammad pleaded guilty to seven counts of murder for hire in front of U.S. District Judge Madeline H. Haikala. The announcement was made Thursday by U.S. Attorney Prim F. Escalona.
In court documents and statements released by the FBI and federal prosecutors, Mohammad’s plan began to take shape in mid-2024, when he asked a cooperating witness to help him find a hitman. The witness, who had begun working with the FBI, reported the conversation. By August, undercover agents had inserted themselves into the plot, posing as contract killers.
According to the FBI, Mohammad offered $20,000 for the murder of his wife and $5,000 for each of his six children.
“Your money maximum within two weeks,” Mohammad told the informant during one conversation, according to WBRC’s reporting. “Not five. Twenty. Because it’s the big head. The others, it’s OK. They are trash. Cockroaches. You know. But this one, deserve more. I give it to you.”
Court records cited by AL.com describe a years-long pattern of violence, threats, and increasingly alarming behavior from Mohammad, including multiple arrests, repeated violations of protection orders, and a string of arsons targeting vehicles belonging to his family and those close to them. Mohammad had been previously arrested in 2021 on a domestic violence charge for allegedly assaulting one of his daughters—though that charge was later dismissed. That same year, his wife obtained three Protection from Abuse orders after reporting repeated threats and violence.
In her statements to the court, Mohammad’s wife described terrifying abuse, writing that Mohammad “has hurt me and my kids and used weapons against us.” She detailed incidents in which he allegedly put a gun and knife to the heads and throats of their children, threatened to lock the family in the basement and kill them, and at one point said he wanted to shoot their daughter “between the eyes.”
Despite legal protections, Mohammad reportedly continued stalking his family. In 2022, he was arrested for placing GPS tracking devices on vehicles driven by his wife and children, according to AL.com. He was released, re-arrested, and eventually fitted with an ankle monitor as legal proceedings continued.
The violence appeared to escalate with a series of vehicle arsons. In January 2023, Hoover police responded to a fire involving a vehicle associated with a friend of Mohammad’s wife. The next day, one of Mohammad’s sons reported his truck was torched in the family driveway. In September, another son’s SUV—and three additional vehicles—were destroyed in another suspicious fire. Then, in December, a daughter’s car was set ablaze just hours after the family rejected an attempt by Mohammad to reconcile.
During a meeting with the undercover FBI employee on September 21, 2024, Mohammad laid out his plan in detail. As documented in the federal complaint, he presented photographs of his family, their vehicles, and their addresses. He showed the agent burned vehicles and said his family had conspired against him to have him arrested and removed from the home. “Start with one. Take your time. Second. Third. Fourth. Five. I don’t give [expletive],” Mohammad told the agent. “Just, start with one.”
The FBI said Mohammad paid the undercover agent $550 as a down payment, with the understanding that the rest would be paid after the killings. Phone records, surveillance footage from Walmart, and audio recordings captured by a cooperating witness were all part of the extensive evidence gathered by federal investigators.
As noted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Mohammad now faces a statutory maximum sentence of 10 years for each of the seven murder-for-hire counts. He has not yet been sentenced.
The case was investigated by the FBI’s Birmingham office, with Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jonathan S. Cross and William R. McComb handling the prosecution.
Presumption of Innocence: A presumption of innocence means that any defendant in a criminal trial is presumed to be innocent until they have been proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. The defendant in this case is only accused of the charges set forth in the criminal complaint. They are innocent until proven guilty.
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Man Pleads Guilty in Plot to Have Wife, Six Children Killed
He described his children as ‘trash’ and said God would ‘reward’ him for the murders, court records show.
By Jacob Charles
Published: September 29, 2025 8:00 am ET
Mohammed A.H. Mohammed (via Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office)
BIRMINGHAM, AL — An Alabama man has pleaded guilty in federal court to a chilling plot to have his wife and six adult children murdered, a plan he orchestrated over months and attempted to execute with the help of someone he believed was a professional killer.
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Alabama, 64-year-old Mohammad A.H. Mohammad pleaded guilty to seven counts of murder for hire in front of U.S. District Judge Madeline H. Haikala. The announcement was made Thursday by U.S. Attorney Prim F. Escalona.
In court documents and statements released by the FBI and federal prosecutors, Mohammad’s plan began to take shape in mid-2024, when he asked a cooperating witness to help him find a hitman. The witness, who had begun working with the FBI, reported the conversation. By August, undercover agents had inserted themselves into the plot, posing as contract killers.
According to the FBI, Mohammad offered $20,000 for the murder of his wife and $5,000 for each of his six children.
“Your money maximum within two weeks,” Mohammad told the informant during one conversation, according to WBRC’s reporting. “Not five. Twenty. Because it’s the big head. The others, it’s OK. They are trash. Cockroaches. You know. But this one, deserve more. I give it to you.”
Court records cited by AL.com describe a years-long pattern of violence, threats, and increasingly alarming behavior from Mohammad, including multiple arrests, repeated violations of protection orders, and a string of arsons targeting vehicles belonging to his family and those close to them. Mohammad had been previously arrested in 2021 on a domestic violence charge for allegedly assaulting one of his daughters—though that charge was later dismissed. That same year, his wife obtained three Protection from Abuse orders after reporting repeated threats and violence.
In her statements to the court, Mohammad’s wife described terrifying abuse, writing that Mohammad “has hurt me and my kids and used weapons against us.” She detailed incidents in which he allegedly put a gun and knife to the heads and throats of their children, threatened to lock the family in the basement and kill them, and at one point said he wanted to shoot their daughter “between the eyes.”
Despite legal protections, Mohammad reportedly continued stalking his family. In 2022, he was arrested for placing GPS tracking devices on vehicles driven by his wife and children, according to AL.com. He was released, re-arrested, and eventually fitted with an ankle monitor as legal proceedings continued.
The violence appeared to escalate with a series of vehicle arsons. In January 2023, Hoover police responded to a fire involving a vehicle associated with a friend of Mohammad’s wife. The next day, one of Mohammad’s sons reported his truck was torched in the family driveway. In September, another son’s SUV—and three additional vehicles—were destroyed in another suspicious fire. Then, in December, a daughter’s car was set ablaze just hours after the family rejected an attempt by Mohammad to reconcile.
During a meeting with the undercover FBI employee on September 21, 2024, Mohammad laid out his plan in detail. As documented in the federal complaint, he presented photographs of his family, their vehicles, and their addresses. He showed the agent burned vehicles and said his family had conspired against him to have him arrested and removed from the home. “Start with one. Take your time. Second. Third. Fourth. Five. I don’t give [expletive],” Mohammad told the agent. “Just, start with one.”
The FBI said Mohammad paid the undercover agent $550 as a down payment, with the understanding that the rest would be paid after the killings. Phone records, surveillance footage from Walmart, and audio recordings captured by a cooperating witness were all part of the extensive evidence gathered by federal investigators.
As noted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Mohammad now faces a statutory maximum sentence of 10 years for each of the seven murder-for-hire counts. He has not yet been sentenced.
The case was investigated by the FBI’s Birmingham office, with Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jonathan S. Cross and William R. McComb handling the prosecution.
Presumption of Innocence: A presumption of innocence means that any defendant in a criminal trial is presumed to be innocent until they have been proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. The defendant in this case is only accused of the charges set forth in the criminal complaint. They are innocent until proven guilty.
Editor's Note: ThePo makes every effort to accurately transcribe the contents of affidavits of probable cause contained in criminal complaints. Often, the complaints themselves are copies of copies of faxed copies, and are difficult to read. To confirm the accuracy of our transcription, contact the Magisterial District Court listed above and request a copy of the criminal complaint. It's a public record to which you are entitled.
Must Read
Editor Picks
Latest Articles
Man Pleads Guilty in Plot to Have Wife, Six Children Killed
He described his children as ‘trash’ and said God would ‘reward’ him for the murders, court records show.
By Jacob Charles
Published: September 29, 2025 8:00 am ET
Mohammed A.H. Mohammed (via Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office)
BIRMINGHAM, AL — An Alabama man has pleaded guilty in federal court to a chilling plot to have his wife and six adult children murdered, a plan he orchestrated over months and attempted to execute with the help of someone he believed was a professional killer.
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Alabama, 64-year-old Mohammad A.H. Mohammad pleaded guilty to seven counts of murder for hire in front of U.S. District Judge Madeline H. Haikala. The announcement was made Thursday by U.S. Attorney Prim F. Escalona.
In court documents and statements released by the FBI and federal prosecutors, Mohammad’s plan began to take shape in mid-2024, when he asked a cooperating witness to help him find a hitman. The witness, who had begun working with the FBI, reported the conversation. By August, undercover agents had inserted themselves into the plot, posing as contract killers.
According to the FBI, Mohammad offered $20,000 for the murder of his wife and $5,000 for each of his six children.
“Your money maximum within two weeks,” Mohammad told the informant during one conversation, according to WBRC’s reporting. “Not five. Twenty. Because it’s the big head. The others, it’s OK. They are trash. Cockroaches. You know. But this one, deserve more. I give it to you.”
Court records cited by AL.com describe a years-long pattern of violence, threats, and increasingly alarming behavior from Mohammad, including multiple arrests, repeated violations of protection orders, and a string of arsons targeting vehicles belonging to his family and those close to them. Mohammad had been previously arrested in 2021 on a domestic violence charge for allegedly assaulting one of his daughters—though that charge was later dismissed. That same year, his wife obtained three Protection from Abuse orders after reporting repeated threats and violence.
In her statements to the court, Mohammad’s wife described terrifying abuse, writing that Mohammad “has hurt me and my kids and used weapons against us.” She detailed incidents in which he allegedly put a gun and knife to the heads and throats of their children, threatened to lock the family in the basement and kill them, and at one point said he wanted to shoot their daughter “between the eyes.”
Despite legal protections, Mohammad reportedly continued stalking his family. In 2022, he was arrested for placing GPS tracking devices on vehicles driven by his wife and children, according to AL.com. He was released, re-arrested, and eventually fitted with an ankle monitor as legal proceedings continued.
The violence appeared to escalate with a series of vehicle arsons. In January 2023, Hoover police responded to a fire involving a vehicle associated with a friend of Mohammad’s wife. The next day, one of Mohammad’s sons reported his truck was torched in the family driveway. In September, another son’s SUV—and three additional vehicles—were destroyed in another suspicious fire. Then, in December, a daughter’s car was set ablaze just hours after the family rejected an attempt by Mohammad to reconcile.
During a meeting with the undercover FBI employee on September 21, 2024, Mohammad laid out his plan in detail. As documented in the federal complaint, he presented photographs of his family, their vehicles, and their addresses. He showed the agent burned vehicles and said his family had conspired against him to have him arrested and removed from the home. “Start with one. Take your time. Second. Third. Fourth. Five. I don’t give [expletive],” Mohammad told the agent. “Just, start with one.”
The FBI said Mohammad paid the undercover agent $550 as a down payment, with the understanding that the rest would be paid after the killings. Phone records, surveillance footage from Walmart, and audio recordings captured by a cooperating witness were all part of the extensive evidence gathered by federal investigators.
As noted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Mohammad now faces a statutory maximum sentence of 10 years for each of the seven murder-for-hire counts. He has not yet been sentenced.
The case was investigated by the FBI’s Birmingham office, with Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jonathan S. Cross and William R. McComb handling the prosecution.
Presumption of Innocence: A presumption of innocence means that any defendant in a criminal trial is presumed to be innocent until they have been proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. The defendant in this case is only accused of the charges set forth in the criminal complaint. They are innocent until proven guilty.
Editor's Note: ThePo makes every effort to accurately transcribe the contents of affidavits of probable cause contained in criminal complaints. Often, the complaints themselves are copies of copies of faxed copies, and are difficult to read. To confirm the accuracy of our transcription, contact the Magisterial District Court listed above and request a copy of the criminal complaint. It's a public record to which you are entitled.
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