Teen charged with murder in crash that killed 3 valets posts bond, no longer in custody

Ahmedal Tayeb Elnouman Modawi (Houston Police Department)

HOUSTON – The teen charged with murder and aggravated assault in a crash that killed three valets made bail over the weekend.

Ahmedal Tayeb Elnouman Modawi, 17, is charged with three counts of murder and one count of aggravated assault with serious bodily injury in the 230th State District Court.

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As a condition of his bond, Modawi must wear a GPS ankle monitor under house arrest until his next court appearance. Modawi is permitted to attend school and go to church, according to court documents.

Modawi is scheduled to appear in court again on Dec. 15.

In early October, Modawi’s bond was set at at $350,000 -- $100,000 for each murder count and $50,000 related to the wounding of the passenger who was in the car with Modawi during the police pursuit. Less than a week later, Judge Chris Morton reduced Modawi’s bond from $350,000 to $220,000 -- $60,000 for each murder count and $40,000 for the aggravated assault.

According to court documents read during a probable cause hearing in early October, Modawi is from Sudan and is not a U.S. Citizen. He has resided with his family in Houston for the past five years.

The fatal crash occurred at approximately 10:30 p.m. Friday, Oct. 1, in the 5800 block of Fairdale Lane after a sergeant with the Houston Police Department spotted Modawi, who was driving a white Infiniti G37, doing donuts in a parking lot nearby. When the sergeant activated his sirens in an attempt to conduct a traffic stop, police said Modawi fled at high speed down the residential street.

Modawi then hit three valets, 22-year-old Eric Orduna, 23-year-old Nick Rodriguez and 18-year-old Fnan Measho, before flipping the vehicle and crashing into a fence.

Both Modawi and a passenger in the Infiniti G37 sustained inures in the crash. Modawi suffered a broke leg and his passenger, who was ejected from the vehicle during the crash, sustained serious injuries to both legs. They were both transported to an area hospital in stable condition, police said.

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All three men Modawi struck with the vehicle were declared dead at the scene.

Modawi was himself a valet and had been driving a client’s vehicle during the police pursuit and subsequent crash.

Police determined Modawi was not intoxicated at the time of the crash. He was taken into custody and later charged.

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About the Author:

Briana Zamora-Nipper joined the KPRC 2 digital team in 2019. When she’s not hard at work in the KPRC 2 newsroom, you can find Bri drinking away her hard earned wages at JuiceLand, running around Hermann Park, listening to crime podcasts or ransacking the magazine stand at Barnes & Noble.