Henderson Gleaner
Wednesday April 3, 2019
By Beth Smith
Mohamud Abdikadir (Photo: Furnished)
HENDERSON, Ky. — A gas station in Arkansas is where Mohamud Abdikadir told West Memphis police an unusual story about his wife, Henderson resident Chloe Randolph-Abdikadir.
According to documents filed at the Henderson Judicial Center, when officers with West Memphis Police responded to the gas station on the night of March 23, they spoke with 21-year-old Mohamud Abdikadir. He told them a fight with his wife Chloe, 20, ended when she "hit herself with a hammer ... and then cut her own throat."
Abdikadir, who moved to the United States about two years ago from Somalia, told West Memphis police officers Chloe came to his apartment in the 2400 block of Green River Road in Henderson "demanding to see their child."
"Mohamud advised that Chloe started to hit herself with a hammer, but that he was able to get it away from her. Mohamud stated she then grabbed a knife and cut her throat. Mohamud said he put the body in the air conditioner closet and left," according to court papers.
West Memphis police notified Henderson police of what they'd been told. After receiving the information, city officers went to Mohamud's apartment and found the young woman inside the air conditioner closet.
"There was blood throughout the apartment and blood spatter on the wall in the hallway," court documents said. "Inside the apartment, a hammer with blood on it, and a knife with blood on it, were located."
The story changed
Several days after an autopsy was performed and Chloe's death was ruled a homicide, Henderson detectives traveled to Arkansas to speak with Mohamud Abdikadir.
During the interview on March 27, according to a uniform citation, "Mohamud admitted to hitting Chloe with a hammer three times, causing her to fall down. Mohamud said he did not know how many times he hit Chloe with the hammer while she was down. Mohamud advised that he did hit her at least two more times while she was on the rug in the living room. Mohamud said this caused her to pass out. While she was unconscious, Mohamud cut her throat."
Mohamud Abdikadir told Henderson authorities "he moved Chloe's body inside the closet, took a shower and left. He also admitted to moving Chloe's car a couple of blocks away from the apartment," court documents said.
Abdikadir was extradited to Kentucky on March 29, where he was charged with murder and two counts of tampering with physical evidence in the March 23 death of his wife.
During his arraignment on Tuesday in Henderson District Court, Judge Leslie Newman changed Abdikadir's $100,000 bond to one of no bond. In making the ruling, Newman said Abdikadir is a flight risk.
Henderson police said Abdikadir is in the states legally but he is not a U.S. citizen. At the time of the alleged incident, Abdikadir was employed at Tyson Foods in Sebree, Kentucky, court papers said.
Memorial in honor of Chloe
Chloe's mother, Renee Mueller, planned a memorial at the Evansville riverfront at 6:30 Wednesday night.
"It's to raise awareness of domestic violence, and it's in remembrance of my daughter," she said.
"Domestic violence is a silent killer and we need to break the silence. And there needs to be more awareness. I am a domestic violence survivor myself, and I never talked about it until this. This was a total shock that my daughter died this way," Mueller said.
"It's devastating. It's just devastating. The nature of it," Mueller said. "I talked to her on her birthday, Feb. 10. And then I got the phone call, Saturday, March 23."