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2 Houston-Area Men Get Life in Federal Murder-for-Hire Case

Digital proof convinced jurors, from phone data to dash‑camera video to a 3D‑printed weapon.

Overview

  • The life sentences announced Tuesday by U.S. District Judge David Hittner followed an eight-day trial and roughly two days of jury deliberations.
  • Prosecutors said Michael Seery, 43, hired Ricardo Obando Jr., 52, through his business to kill a man he believed had an affair with Seery’s wife years earlier.
  • The pair targeted the wrong person on February 4, 2025 along Highway 99 after the intended target moved, and the victim survived shots to the neck, torso, and hand from a silenced weapon.
  • Cell phone records mapped surveillance and a prior failed attempt, and jurors watched the attack on the victim’s in-car camera along with his 911 call moments later.
  • Agents seized 57 guns from Seery’s home, office, and storage unit, along with a 3D printer used to make firearm parts, and both men remain in custody awaiting transfer to federal prisons.