Elias Abuelazam
Encyclopedia
Elias Abuelazam is an Israeli Arab
suspect of racial serial killing
and multiple stabbings. He is suspected in killings and stabbings in Genesee County
, Michigan
, and stabbings in Leesburg
, Virginia
and Toledo
, Ohio
in the spring and summer of 2010; as well as a March 2009 homicide in Leesburg. Media has dubbed him "the serial slasher" (or alternately "the serial stabber"). Abuelazam was 6 in 5 in (1.96 m) and weighed 280 pounds (127 kg) at the time of his booking.
Arab
family in the city of Ramla
, Israel
. He later moved to the United States, having acquired a green card; however, he is not an American citizen. According to the US State Department, Elias Abuelazam changed his name to Elias Abullazam in March 1995.
Abuelazam worked at a hospital in Leesburg, Virginia. He worked as a clerk at Kingwater Market in Beecher
from July 5 to August 1. Most customers knew him as “Eli.” He was cited for giving alcohol to a minor July 29, the same day a 59-year-old man was stabbed in Flint
. Abuelazam’s legal address is in Bradenton
, Florida
, according to the warrant. He previously lived in Grand Blanc
, according to Michigan Secretary of State records. Abuelazam most recently lived in a house that his uncle owns located on Maryland Avenue near Riegle Avenue on the east side of Flint.
Abuelazam married Jessica Hirth on July 30, 2004. His former mother-in-law, Kimberley Hirth, said her daughter and Abuelazam met in Texas while he was visiting cousins there. His former father-in-law claimed that he was abusive. They divorced in 2007. In total, he was married twice.
Abuelazam is also suspected of having stabbed a friend in the face with a screwdriver while on a visit to his family in Ramla, Israel in early 2010. Police did not pursue the case because the friend refused to press charges.
Leesburg Police have said Abuelazam is also a suspect in an unsolved homicide from March 2009.
, during a traffic stop. He was taken into custody because he had a warrant out for his arrest for simple assault and later released on personal bond.
officers on August 11, 2010 at 10:00 p.m. ET in Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport, while preparing to board a Delta Air Lines
flight bound for Tel Aviv
. On August 13, 2010 he waived his right to fight extradition to Michigan. Abuelazam's family has hired Lansing
based attorneys Brian Morley and Edwar Zeineh. He was flown to Flint on August 26, 2010 and lodged in the Genesee County Jail. Abuelazam is being held in solitary confinement, likely for his safety and because he is suspected of extremely violent crimes. At his arraignment, he was ordered held without bond by the judge, even after the prosecutor asked for $10 million bail.
On September 20, 2010 Abuelazam was charged with the murder of Arnold Minor, who was stabbed to death August 2, 2010 in Flint. Also on that date he was charged with 4 additional counts of assault to commit murder; the victims in those crimes are: Bill Fisher, who was attacked June 26, 2010; Richard Booker, who was attacked July 19, 2010 in Genesee Township; Etwan Wilson, who was attacked August 1, 2010 near Pierson Road; and Devon Rawls. If convicted, he would likely face a sentence of at least life in prison without the possibility of parole. On October 8, 2010 an Ohio grand jury indicted Abuelazam and charged him with felonious assault in the stabbing of church janitor Tony Leno in Toledo. On October 21, 2010 he was charged with murder in the stabbing deaths of Frank Kellybrew and Darwin Marshall of Flint. On November 4, 2010 he was charged with two counts of resisting and obstructing a police officer causing injury and three counts of resisting and obstructing a police officer after he attempted to punch a deputy and had to be taser
ed with the help of four other officers on October 27. 2010 On November 12, 2010 he was charged with malicious destruction of property for smashing out the windows of a car belonging to James Augsberger, boyfriend of witness Lucinda Mann. On November 23, 2010 he was charged with assault with intent to murder in the stabbing of Antoine Jackson on July 12, 2010 in Burton.
Arab citizens of Israel
Arab citizens of Israel refers to citizens of Israel who are not Jewish, and whose cultural and linguistic heritage or ethnic identity is Arab....
suspect of racial serial killing
Serial killer
A serial killer, as typically defined, is an individual who has murdered three or more people over a period of more than a month, with down time between the murders, and whose motivation for killing is usually based on psychological gratification...
and multiple stabbings. He is suspected in killings and stabbings in Genesee County
Genesee County, Michigan
-Interstates:* I-69* I-75* I-475-Michigan State Trunklines:* M-13* M-15* M-21* M-54* M-57-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 436,141 people, 169,825 households, and 115,990 families residing in the county. The population density was 682 people per square mile . There were 183,630...
, Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
, and stabbings in Leesburg
Leesburg, Virginia
Leesburg is a historic town in, and county seat of, Loudoun County, Virginia, United States of America. Leesburg is located west-northwest of Washington, D.C. along the base of the Catoctin Mountain and adjacent to the Potomac River. Its population according the 2010 Census is 42,616...
, Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
and Toledo
Toledo, Ohio
Toledo is the fourth most populous city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Lucas County. Toledo is in northwest Ohio, on the western end of Lake Erie, and borders the State of Michigan...
, Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
in the spring and summer of 2010; as well as a March 2009 homicide in Leesburg. Media has dubbed him "the serial slasher" (or alternately "the serial stabber"). Abuelazam was 6 in 5 in (1.96 m) and weighed 280 pounds (127 kg) at the time of his booking.
Personal life
Abuelazam was born in central Israel and has Israeli citizenship. He grew up in a well-to-do ChristianChristian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
Arab
Arab
Arab people, also known as Arabs , are a panethnicity primarily living in the Arab world, which is located in Western Asia and North Africa. They are identified as such on one or more of genealogical, linguistic, or cultural grounds, with tribal affiliations, and intra-tribal relationships playing...
family in the city of Ramla
Ramla
Ramla , is a city in central Israel. The city is predominantly Jewish with a significant Arab minority. Ramla was founded circa 705–715 AD by the Umayyad Caliph Suleiman ibn Abed al-Malik after the Arab conquest of the region...
, Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
. He later moved to the United States, having acquired a green card; however, he is not an American citizen. According to the US State Department, Elias Abuelazam changed his name to Elias Abullazam in March 1995.
Abuelazam worked at a hospital in Leesburg, Virginia. He worked as a clerk at Kingwater Market in Beecher
Beecher, Michigan
Beecher is an unincorporated community in Genesee County in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is a census-designated place for statistical purposes and has no legal status as a municipality. The population was 12,793 at the 2000 census....
from July 5 to August 1. Most customers knew him as “Eli.” He was cited for giving alcohol to a minor July 29, the same day a 59-year-old man was stabbed in Flint
Flint, Michigan
Flint is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and is located along the Flint River, northwest of Detroit. The U.S. Census Bureau reports the 2010 population to be placed at 102,434, making Flint the seventh largest city in Michigan. It is the county seat of Genesee County which lies in the...
. Abuelazam’s legal address is in Bradenton
Bradenton, Florida
Bradenton is a city in Manatee County, Florida, United States. The U.S. Census Bureau estimated the city's 2007 population to be 53,471. Bradenton is the largest Principal City of the Bradenton-Sarasota-Venice, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area, which had a 2007 estimated population of 682,833...
, Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
, according to the warrant. He previously lived in Grand Blanc
Grand Blanc, Michigan
Grand Blanc is a city in Genesee County in the U.S. state of Michigan and a suburb of Flint. The population was 8,242 at the 2000 census. The city is situated within Grand Blanc Charter Township, but is politically independent...
, according to Michigan Secretary of State records. Abuelazam most recently lived in a house that his uncle owns located on Maryland Avenue near Riegle Avenue on the east side of Flint.
Abuelazam married Jessica Hirth on July 30, 2004. His former mother-in-law, Kimberley Hirth, said her daughter and Abuelazam met in Texas while he was visiting cousins there. His former father-in-law claimed that he was abusive. They divorced in 2007. In total, he was married twice.
Crimes
Police and prosecutors claim that between May and August of 2010, Abuelazam would drive around late at night, approach small framed men who were walking alone, ask for directions or help fixing his vehicle, and then stab them. Abuelazam's alleged victims have been mostly black, and police in Leesburg suspect the attacks may have been racially motivated. Genesee County prosecutors, however, have declined to speculate on his motive.Abuelazam is also suspected of having stabbed a friend in the face with a screwdriver while on a visit to his family in Ramla, Israel in early 2010. Police did not pursue the case because the friend refused to press charges.
Leesburg Police have said Abuelazam is also a suspect in an unsolved homicide from March 2009.
Investigation
In Genesee County on August 4, 2010, it was announced that a string of stabbings that date back to May 2010 was the work of one man and a multi-jurisdictional task force was set up to investigate. The next week on August 9, 2010 police in Leesburg connected three stabbings there via their victims' descriptions of the suspect, his vehicle and his mode of operation. The next day Toledo Police claimed a stabbing there also matched the suspect.First arrest
He was arrested August 5, 2010 in Arlington, VirginiaVirginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
, during a traffic stop. He was taken into custody because he had a warrant out for his arrest for simple assault and later released on personal bond.
Second arrest and extradition
Abuelazam was arrested by U.S. Customs and Border ProtectionU.S. Customs and Border Protection
U.S. Customs and Border Protection is a federal law enforcement agency of the United States Department of Homeland Security charged with regulating and facilitating international trade, collecting import duties, and enforcing U.S. regulations, including trade, customs and immigration. CBP is the...
officers on August 11, 2010 at 10:00 p.m. ET in Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport, while preparing to board a Delta Air Lines
Delta Air Lines
Delta Air Lines, Inc. is a major airline based in the United States and headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia. The airline operates an extensive domestic and international network serving all continents except Antarctica. Delta and its subsidiaries operate over 4,000 flights every day...
flight bound for Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv , officially Tel Aviv-Yafo , is the second most populous city in Israel, with a population of 404,400 on a land area of . The city is located on the Israeli Mediterranean coastline in west-central Israel. It is the largest and most populous city in the metropolitan area of Gush Dan, with...
. On August 13, 2010 he waived his right to fight extradition to Michigan. Abuelazam's family has hired Lansing
Lansing, Michigan
Lansing is the capital of the U.S. state of Michigan. It is located mostly in Ingham County, although small portions of the city extend into Eaton County. The 2010 Census places the city's population at 114,297, making it the fifth largest city in Michigan...
based attorneys Brian Morley and Edwar Zeineh. He was flown to Flint on August 26, 2010 and lodged in the Genesee County Jail. Abuelazam is being held in solitary confinement, likely for his safety and because he is suspected of extremely violent crimes. At his arraignment, he was ordered held without bond by the judge, even after the prosecutor asked for $10 million bail.
Charges
On August 26, 2010 the Genesee County Prosecutor's Office charged him with one count of assault with intent to commit murder for an attack on July 27, 2010.On September 20, 2010 Abuelazam was charged with the murder of Arnold Minor, who was stabbed to death August 2, 2010 in Flint. Also on that date he was charged with 4 additional counts of assault to commit murder; the victims in those crimes are: Bill Fisher, who was attacked June 26, 2010; Richard Booker, who was attacked July 19, 2010 in Genesee Township; Etwan Wilson, who was attacked August 1, 2010 near Pierson Road; and Devon Rawls. If convicted, he would likely face a sentence of at least life in prison without the possibility of parole. On October 8, 2010 an Ohio grand jury indicted Abuelazam and charged him with felonious assault in the stabbing of church janitor Tony Leno in Toledo. On October 21, 2010 he was charged with murder in the stabbing deaths of Frank Kellybrew and Darwin Marshall of Flint. On November 4, 2010 he was charged with two counts of resisting and obstructing a police officer causing injury and three counts of resisting and obstructing a police officer after he attempted to punch a deputy and had to be taser
Taser
A Taser is an electroshock weapon that uses electrical current to disrupt voluntary control of muscles. Its manufacturer, Taser International, calls the effects "neuromuscular incapacitation" and the devices' mechanism "Electro-Muscular Disruption technology"...
ed with the help of four other officers on October 27. 2010 On November 12, 2010 he was charged with malicious destruction of property for smashing out the windows of a car belonging to James Augsberger, boyfriend of witness Lucinda Mann. On November 23, 2010 he was charged with assault with intent to murder in the stabbing of Antoine Jackson on July 12, 2010 in Burton.