COLUMBUS, Ohio — The Columbus man charged with killing a woman and setting her body on fire at an Upper Arlington park in 2018 has pleaded guilty.
The body of 23-year-old Bobbie Simpson was found in Burbank Park on Oct. 14 after a passerby reported a fire. Once the fire was extinguished, crews found her body.
According to the preliminary autopsy report, Simpson’s body had been placed in a container and then set on fire. The report also said there were obvious signs of trauma to the body.
Just over a week later, Mohamed Abdullahi was arrested for OVI after a traffic stop in Upper Arlington.
During the traffic stop, Abdullahi claimed to work for the FBI and have a connection to the Columbus Vice Unit.
Police said Abdullahi already was a person of interest in Simpson’s death when he was pulled over. Abdullahi was linked to Simpson's death by DNA evidence found on one of her hands.
Abdullahi was initially charged with murder, aggravated murder, tampering with evidence, arson and abuse of a corpse in Simpson’s death. He pleaded not guilty to those charges.
In an update on Wednesday, the Upper Arlington Police Department and the Franklin County Prosecutor’s Office announced Abdullahi pleaded guilty to amended charges.
According to police, the amended charges are involuntary manslaughter, felonious assault, tampering with evidence, abuse of a corpse and criminal mischief. These charges resulted in a 25-year prison sentence for Abdullahi.