Two Houston-area men have been found guilty of multiple felony counts in connection with a murder-for-hire plot that left an innocent man seriously injured after being mistaken for the intended target.
Michael Seery, 43, and Ricard Obando Jr., 51, were convicted of the following charges:
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- Conspiracy to use interstate facilities to commit murder for hire causing bodily injury
- Aiding and abetting the use of interstate facilities to commit murder for hire causing bodily injury
- Aiding and abetting discharge of a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence
- Aiding and abetting the use of a firearm silencer during and in relation to a crime of violence
Seery was also found guilty of transferring a firearm to be used in a felony and being a felon in possession of a firearm. Obando was additionally convicted of receiving a firearm that was to be used in a felony.
A jury deliberated for about two hours before returning the guilty verdicts. The trial lasted eight days.
The charges stem from a murder-for-hire plan prosecutors said Seery and Obando carried out after coordinating and stalking their target for several days before an ambush.
The shooting happened the morning of Feb. 4, 2025.
Prosecutors said a Katy man was driving to work on Highway 99 when Obando shot him multiple times with a firearm equipped with a silencer. The victim was struck in the neck, torso and hand, but survived.
According to evidence presented at trial, the plot originated after Seery hired Obando to kill a man Seery believed had an affair with Seery’s wife while Seery was incarcerated. Prosecutors said the affair had occurred 12 years earlier, and Seery had remained angry about it.
However, the intended target had recently moved, and investigators said the pair instead attacked a completely uninvolved victim.
During the trial, jurors heard testimony from the victim and watched footage of the shooting captured by the victim’s in-car camera.
“An innocent victim was ambushed by gunfire during his daily commute—all because of one man’s jealousy and faulty information,” U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei said in a statement announcing the convictions.
Cell phone forensics presented at trial showed Obando conducted extensive surveillance leading up to the shooting.
The intended target and Seery’s wife both testified. Jurors also heard testimony indicating Seery was still expressing anger about the affair in the weeks leading up to the attack.
Other evidence included images showing large numbers of firearms Seery allegedly kept in his home and storage unit, despite being a previously convicted felon.
Prosecutors also presented evidence of a 3D printer Seery allegedly used to create the silencer attachment for the weapon.
During the trial, the defense argued there was no hard evidence linking the defendants to either the intended target or the victim. Obando’s attorney challenged the cell phone evidence, while Seery’s defense denied involvement in the conspiracy.
“A murder-for-hire plot transformed a Houston highway into an incredibly dangerous situation for morning commuters,” said FBI Houston Acting Special Agent in Charge Jason Hudson. “Michael Seery and Ricardo Obando Jr. showed total disregard for human life and put countless innocent bystanders at risk.”
Both men face maximum sentences of life in federal prison.