Do you know who murdered Vernon? On the evening of March 17, 1986, Vernon Abdoo, a 58-year-old male and U.S. veteran, was walking home after leaving a local liquor store in Tulsa, Oklahoma. As he made his way down the street at approximately 7:30 p.m., just a block from his house in the vicinity of 1600 N. Lewis, a horrific and unexpected attack occurred. An unknown assailant, who had exited an older black and white or light-colored vehicle, approached Mr. Abdoo.
In a shocking act of violence, the suspect doused Mr.
Abdoo with a flammable liquid and then set him on fire. The attacker was seen laughing as he ignited a piece of paper and dropped it on him. The assault left Vernon Abdoo with catastrophic burns covering over 90 percent of his body. He was rushed to a nearby hospital in critical condition. Despite the immense pain and the severity of his injuries, he was able to provide a brief statement to investigators, stating that he never saw his attacker coming. Tragically, he succumbed to his injuries and passed away the following day. His wife later stated that he had no known enemies, leaving his family and the community baffled by the senseless brutality of the crime.
The investigation into Vernon Abdoo's murder has since gone cold, but authorities have a description of the primary suspect. He was identified as a slender Black male, standing approximately 6 feet tall with short, dark hair, and was seen wearing dark clothing. Some witnesses reported the presence of a second man at the scene. To this day, no arrests have been made in connection with this heinous crime, and the case remains an unsolved homicide with the Tulsa Police Department.
