Ithaca Man Sentenced 25 to Life for Wife’s Murder with Children Present

Ahmed Abed, 44, of Ithaca was sentenced to 25 years to life in state prison after pleading guilty to the second-degree murder of his wife, Alaa Hussein Jeena Abedi, whom he killed in their home on November 11, 2024, in a brutal attack witnessed by their four children. Abed struck his wife with a cinderblock while she was sleeping and then stabbed her multiple times, leading prosecutors to seek the maximum sentence with no plea deal offered. During the sentencing hearing, three of the couple’s children spoke, urging the judge to impose the harshest penalty possible. Tompkins County District Attorney Matthew Van Houten described the crime as "brutal and heinous" and expressed disappointment that the law did not allow for a harsher sentence, emphasizing the immense pain inflicted on the children who lost both parents. The court acknowledged the investigative efforts of local law enforcement agencies, including the Ithaca Police Department and the New York State Police Forensic Investigation Unit. Defense attorneys have not commented on a potential appeal at this time.