Not Guilty Plea Entered in a 2018 Rochester Murder Case
Rochester, MN (KROC-AM News) - One of the men accused of being involved in the murder of a Rochester man last year today entered a not guilty plea to a second-degree murder charge.
31-year-old Muhidin Omar Abukar allegedly participated in the shooting death of 28-year-old Garad Roble, who was found shot to death in early March of last year along a rural southeast Rochester road near the Shoppes on Maine complex. He was the 2nd person charged in the case. 24-year-old Ayub Iman is also charged with second-degree murder and has yet to enter a plea.
The charges against the two men rely heavily on cell phone tracking to link the men to the crime. The criminal complaint against Abukar includes witness statements from a person who told investigators about overhearing a conversion between the victim and Abukar during which Roble asked if he planned to kill him. Another witness indicated Abukar made statements in jail that made it appear he was claiming responsibility for the murder.
Abukar was previously sent to prison in 2010 for a 2nd-degree murder conviction for his involvement in the shooting death of 32-year-old Ryan Nissalke in Rochester in 2009. In that case, he was given a 14-year prison sentence.
Abukar’s next court appearance has not been scheduled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
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