A Fort Wayne man has been found guilty of murder in the 2025 shooting death of his girlfriend, bringing a four-day trial to a close nearly 20 months after the fatal incident.
Reginald Brooks, 55, was convicted Friday in Allen Superior Court in connection with the death of 50-year-old Sajdah Abdur-Rabb. Jurors also found him guilty of a firearm enhancement related to the killing.
The case stems from a shooting at a mobile home park on Fort Wayne’s south side on Jan. 30, 2025. Abdur-Rabb was found suffering from a gunshot wound inside the home near Dunkelberg Road, close to Airport Expressway and Bluffton Road. She was taken to a local hospital, where she later died.
Investigators said the shooting followed an argument between Brooks and Abdur-Rabb. Earlier, Brooks had allegedly been drinking and made threats against Abdur-Rabb and her son. Police later learned that the gun had become part of the confrontation before it discharged.
Brooks gave investigators his own account of what happened. He said there had been a struggle over the firearm and told police that he had “barely touched the trigger” when the gun went off. The defense case centered on whether the shooting was intentional or happened during the struggle.
Court records and testimony presented during the case described a chaotic scene inside the mobile home. Officers responding to the residence found Abdur-Rabb injured and provided assistance before she was transported to the hospital. The Allen County Coroner’s Office later ruled her manner of death a homicide.
Abdur-Rabb was a mother of nine and a grandmother of 10. Her family previously described the loss as devastating and said they were struggling to understand how the situation had become their reality.
The guilty verdict now moves the case into the sentencing phase. Brooks is scheduled to return to court on Oct. 30, when a sentence will be determined. He faces a potential prison term of up to 85 years.
The conviction closes the trial portion of a case that began with a fatal domestic dispute and left Abdur-Rabb’s family mourning the loss of a mother and grandmother.
