Trial opens for man accused in beating death of Somali cab driver

Deputy District Attorney Ilan Zur told the jury he has a slam-dunk case for second-degree murder against Daniel Russell.

Mr. Russell, 22, of Arlington Heights, is one of four men charged with criminal homicide stemming from the Feb. 21, 2017, beating of Somali cab driver Ramadhan Mohamed.

Mr. Mohamed, 31, died three days later.

During opening statements in Mr. Russell’s trial on Tuesday morning, Mr. Zur described to the jury the brutal nature of the beating.

According to investigators, the four co-defendants called for a cab early that morning, and Mr. Mohamed, driving for Z Trip, arrived at Climax Street in Beltzhoover about 2 a.m.

Police say the plan was to rob the driver. Instead, the men pulled Mr. Mohamed out of the car and beat him so severely, Mr. Zur said, that a doctor will testify that his brain injuries are similar to what a person would experience if crashing a motorcycle into a telephone pole without a helmet while traveling 30 to 40 mph.

After the beating, Mr. Mohamed lay in an empty lot for about two hours before police found him. He was likely already brain dead, Mr. Zur said.

"They continued to kick and punch him while he was lifeless," Mr. Zur said. "He got beaten so severely that his brain actually shifted in his skull."

Mr. Zur said he wanted the jurors to appreciate the severity of the injuries because it shows intent.

"It wasn't an accident. It wasn't reckless," he said. "He intended this result. This was clearly an intent to kill."

Mr. Zur told the jurors that following the beating, Mr. Russell, who he called the “ring leader” that night, bragged about it in Facebook posts he wrote.

Later, after Mr. Russell was arrested, crime lab technicians tested the shoes they believed he was wearing the night of the attack. They found blood on them, and the DNA matched Mr. Mohamed.

“That is evidence Daniel Russell kicked Ramadhan Mohamed,” Mr. Zur said.

As part of the prosecution’s case, he continued, two co-defendants will testify against Mr. Russell. They include King Edwards and Hosea Moore.