A Colorado man who fled to Houston in 2019 after being charged with the murder of a 31-year-old woman has been sentenced to life in prison for fatally stabbing an acquaintance and taking his car, Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg announced.

“Houston is a big and diverse city, and someone on the run may think they can hide out here. But the cohesiveness of our community is our strength, and we will find and prosecute fugitives,” Ogg said. “It is a tragedy that a young man lost his life because someone he barely knew was trying to escape any responsibility and accountability.”

Abbas Abdal Abed, 47, was convicted by a jury earlier this month in the stabbing death of 29-year-old Abdulrahman Haris on Dec. 15, 2019.

Because of scheduling conflicts, his sentencing was postponed for a week. After hearing more evidence, state District Judge Te’iva Bell sentenced him to life in prison late Thursday. He must serve at least 30 years before he is eligible for parole. The murder case in Colorado is pending.

Abed is accused of killing 31-year-old Chelsea Anne Snider at an extended-stay hotel in the Denver suburb of Sheridan. Snider died from blunt-force trauma and stab wounds. The relationship between Abed and Snider is unclear. Media reports from Colorado show that Abed worked as an Uber driver and Snider was a mother of three who had struggled with substance-abuse issues.

After that slaying, Abed fled to Houston because he had lived here in the past and knew several people, including Haris. The two men were both from Iraq and had come to Houston around the same time. Haris settled here, and Abed moved on.

Haris apparently gave Abed some money and was taking him to the Wal-Mart at 9460 W. Sam Houston Parkway in southwest Houston. Haris was driving a gold Toyota Avalon when Abed stabbed him. Haris pulled over and ran out of the sedan, and Abed took the vehicle.

Surveillance video showed Haris getting out of the car in the parking lot and running toward a group of people for help. He had been stabbed in the neck and abdomen and later died of his wounds.

Abed was arrested about two weeks later by the Houston Police Department at a west Houston food pantry. The U.S. Marshals Service had blanketed that part of town with photos of Abed because he was wanted for the murder in Colorado. A security guard at the food bank recognized Abed from the flyers and called police.

Assistant District Attorney Catherine Johnson, a chief in the DA’s trial bureau, prosecuted the case with ADA Sarah Dimas. Johnson said the judge made the right decision by handing down a life sentence.

“We don’t want Abbas Abed walking the same streets as our families, our friends or our children ever again,” Johnson said. “He is scary as hell.”

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