Police arrest 2 in Houston cab driver killings

Police arrest 2 in Houston cab driver killings

by khou.com staff

kens5.com

Posted on October 17, 2010 at 11:42 AM

HOUSTON – Police arrested two suspects Friday they say shot and killed two Yellow Cab drivers in the Houston area.
The suspects, 21-year-olds Chaz Blackshear and Danielle Hudson, confessed to their roles in the murders and police said evidence recovered verified their involvement.
Police said Mohammed Elsayed, 32, was shot to death Tuesday in the 5400 block of Wheatley. His body was discovered in a nearby bayou later that day, and his cab was found abandoned in the 12400 block of Overbrook.
The second driver, 50-year-old Blaise Nwokenaka, was killed Thursday morning. Police said the last fare Nwokenaka picked up was at the Chevron at Whittington and Dairy Ashford, the same location as the 1st victim. Authorities said a patrol officer saw the cab parked in the middle of an office parking lot, but thought nothing of it. When the officer drove by a second time, around 5 a.m., and the cab was still there, he went to investigate and found Nwokenaka shot to death in the driver’s seat. Police said the interior of the cab appeared to be burned.
Several Yellow Cab drivers expressed concerns for their safety earlier this week after getting word of the killings. Roman Martinez, President and CEO of Texas Taxi, a parent company of Yellow Cab of Houston, said he was grateful to police for getting the suspects off the streets.
"The independent contractor drivers are relieved, as we are, to know the murderers who were preying on Houston’s taxi drivers have been arrested," Martinez said in a statement.
Authorities said the suspects were arrested without incident and each faces charges of two counts of capital murder.
Police said more information on the case would be released during a news conference Monday