Woman Sentenced to 25 Years for Murder

KMZU.com

January 21, 2011

A Press Release from the Platte County Prosecutor’s Office

A  Kansas City, Kansas woman will spend more than two decades in prison for murdering a man at his Riverside apartment.  Cavona C. Flenoy, 20, was sentenced on January 21 for second degree murder and other crimes in the shooting death of Hassan A. Abbas in March 2010.

Platte County Prosecutor Eric Zahnd said, “This defendant bought a gun the day after she met her victim.  Three days later, she took that gun to his apartment, murdered him, and stole his wallet and car.  It is appropriate that she will spend more than two decades behind bars for her crimes.”

On March 9, 2010 shortly before 7:30 p.m., officers of the Riverside Department of Public Safety were dispatched to an apartment at 4911 NW Gateway Drive.  Officers made contact with the resident of the apartment, who said his roommate was lying on the floor covered in blood.  Abbas was transported to the hospital, where he was later pronounced dead.

Officers recovered spent .40 caliber shell casings and spent bullet rounds from Abbas’ bedroom and found blood on Abbas’ bed, wall and floor.

Flenoy admitted she shot the victim several times in the chest, face, and side with a gun she had purchased for $100 one day after meeting the victim and three days before the murder.

During the sentencing, Zahnd noted that Flenoy scribbled a note on a legal pad during a break in her interview with police.  She wrote, “I push him down like I was about to [have sex with] him.  I got the gun.  And I just pulled the trigger.”

Flenoy also admitted leaving the apartment in the victim’s car with his keys, wallet, and cell phone.  After fleeing, Flenoy switched license plates from her car to the victim’s.  Flenoy also attempted to purchase gas using the victim’s credit card.

Zahnd sought life in prison for Flenoy, arguing during the sentencing hearing that the evidence suggested Flenoy misled the victim into believing she would have sex with him before she killed him.

Flenoy’s criminal defense attorney argued that Flenoy’s difficult upbringing warranted a three-year prison term followed by probation.  She presented evidence that Flenoy had been raped and abused as a child, which a psychologist argued could have influenced the crime.

Judge Owens Lee Hull, Jr. sentenced Flenoy to 25 years in prison for second degree murder, 20 years in prison for armed criminal action, and five years in prison each for tampering with a motor vehicle and stealing.  Hull ordered the sentences to run concurrently with one another.  Flenoy must serve 85% of her sentence before she will be eligible for parole.

Flenoy became visibly upset as Hull pronounced the sentence, sobbing and making verbal outbursts through the remainder of the hearing.

Zahnd said, “There is no doubt this young woman had a tumultuous childhood.  But that cannot excuse an act of cold-blooded murder.”

The case was investigated by the Riverside Department of Public Safety with the assistance of the Kansas City Metro Squad.  It was personally prosecuted by Zahnd and Assistant Prosecutor Amy Ashelford.

Cavona Flenoy pleads guilty to killing Hassan Abbas, writes that she teased having sex with him prior to shooting

By Justin Kendall - Pitch.com

December 9, 2010

On a break from questioning from police, Cavona C. Flenoy wrote on a legal pad: "I push him down like I was about to [have sex with] him. I got the gun. And I just pulled the trigger."

Flenoy pleaded guilty Thursday to second-degree murder charges for shooting and killing Hassan A. Abbas in his Riverside apartment on March 9. She didn't just shoot Abbas. She unloaded on him, shooting him in the chest, face, and side with a gun that she bought for $100 just a few days before the killing.

"This defendant repeatedly shot her victim in the chest with a gun she had bought three days earlier," Platte County Prosecutor Eric Zahnd said in a statement. "She murdered him and then stole his wallet and his car. She might look like a harmless 19-year-old girl, but the truth is that she is a very dangerous woman."

Abbas' roommate found him lying in a pool of blood in their apartment at the El Chaparral apartment complex at 4911 Northwest Gateway Drive.

Police found spent .40 caliber shell casings and bullet rounds in Abbas' bedroom, where the bed, walls and floor were covered with blood.

Flenoy had stolen Abbas' 1995 blue Honda Accord, wallet and cell phone. She even switched out his license plates and tried to buy gas with his credit card.

Abbas' roommate told police that Abbas had recently met Flenoy and had brought her to the apartment the weekend before. He was a 32-year-old Sudanese national.

Flenoy also pleaded guilty Thursday to armed criminal action, stealing a motor vehicle, and stealing a credit card. Her sentencing is scheduled for January 20, 2011.

Cavona C. Flenoy