An Indiana jury has found a man guilty of murdering his girlfriend during an argument, despite his claim to police that he had “barely touched the trigger” when the gun went off.
Reginald Brooks, 55, was charged with murder in the death of 50-year-old Sajdah Abdur-Rabb, according to Allen Superior Court records reviewed by Law&Crime. He was convicted this week, regional CBS affiliate WANE reported.
On Jan. 29, 2025, Brooks was reportedly drinking and threatened to kill Abdur-Rabb and her son. Abdur-Rabb was a mother of nine children, the youngest of whom was just 11 at the time.
The next day, the victim was at a mobile home off Dunkelberg Road in Fort Wayne when an argument with Brooks turned violent. Brooks apparently reached for a gun, and he claimed that he and Abdur-Rabb struggled over it before it went off, striking her.
Police who responded to the home found Abdur-Rabb suffering from a gunshot wound. She was taken to a hospital, where she later died.
When officers detained Brooks, he reportedly told them he had “barely touched the trigger” before the weapon discharged. He was subsequently booked into jail.
A GoFundMe page set up for Abdur-Rabb following the shooting, which is no longer active, said she was also a grandmother to 10 children. Her family described being “in complete shock” over her death.
“Never would we have thought this would be our reality,” the fundraiser page read, according to local ABC and NBC affiliate WPTA. “Domestic violence has shattered our world.”
Brooks is set to be sentenced on Oct. 30 and faces up to 85 years in prison.
