In the late summer of 2017, Randall Smith, a 44-year-old African-American man from California, found himself in the bustling city of Las Vegas. He was in town for the highly anticipated Conor McGregor fight and was known to volunteer at the Mayweather Boxing Club. During his visits to Las Vegas, Smith, known to some as "Baldy," would often stay with an acquaintance, Abdul Musawwir Mohammed.
Mohammed, who also had ties to the Mayweather gym, operated a barbershop out of his apartment.
The early morning hours of August 25, 2017, were shattered by the sound of gunfire near Mohammed's residence. Concerned neighbors placed multiple calls to the police, with one reporting the sound of a heated argument between two men preceding the shots. Despite the reports, responding officers were initially unable to locate any evidence of a crime. It was later discovered through phone records that several calls had been exchanged between Smith and Mohammed in the time leading up to the reported gunshots.
Days later, on August 31, the investigation into Smith's whereabouts brought detectives to Mohammed's apartment. Upon their arrival, they were met with the strong odor of cleaning supplies and the sight of lingering soap bubbles on a freshly washed porch. A simple sign advertising ten-dollar haircuts hung in the window. The evidence suggested a grim turn of events had taken place within those walls.
The investigation ultimately revealed that Randall Smith had been shot and killed in or near Mohammed's apartment. In a calculated effort to conceal the crime, his body was transported across state lines into the California desert. There, his remains were hidden under rocks and a bush, a desperate attempt to delay the inevitable discovery and the subsequent murder investigation.
The efforts to hide the truth were in vain. Authorities soon identified 54-year-old Abdul Musawwir Mohammed, who also went by the name Carlton Burnett, as the primary suspect in the slaying of Randall Smith. He was arrested and charged with murder with a deadly weapon, accused of ending a life and then attempting to erase the evidence under the vast and unforgiving desert sky.
