A Trinidad and Tobago national who made international headlines after being convicted in the United States for attempting to arrange the murder of his former girlfriend’s partner has died in Florida.
Ryan Aziz Hadeed, 47, a former newspaper columnist and writer, died on July 5 in Tavares, Florida, according to an online obituary published by the Joseph A Scarano Funeral Home.
Hadeed had been serving a seven-year prison sentence after pleading guilty in 2022 to using the United States Postal Service in a murder-for-hire plot involving his former girlfriend’s new partner. He had been scheduled for release in 2029.
It was unclear up to today whether Hadeed had been released from custody prior to his death or whether he died while still incarcerated.
According to the obituary notice, funeral services were held on Monday at the Joseph A Scarano Pines Memorial Chapel in Pembroke Pines, followed by a funeral mass at St John XXIII Catholic Church in Miramar, Florida.
Cremation followed the service.
Hadeed, who lived in Pembroke Pines in Broward County, was arrested in December 2021 following an undercover law enforcement operation that investigators said uncovered an elaborate plan to kill the new romantic partner of his former girlfriend.
Federal prosecutors said Hadeed mailed several letters to a man he believed was a contract killer, offering US$10,000 to carry out the murder in Tampa.
The intended recipient, however, was cooperating with law enforcement authorities and worked as a confidential source for investigators.
In one of the letters, Hadeed allegedly wrote: “I need someone eliminated. I’ve been told you can arrange that. $10,000 all in cash and upfront.”
Investigators said subsequent correspondence included photographs of the intended victim, his home address, work details, travel routines and a deadline for the killing to be completed before the end of 2021. Prosecutors said the final package included US$10,000 in cash.
Authorities said Hadeed left the United States on a one-way ticket to Trinidad and Tobago on the same day the money and information package was delivered. Additional evidence was allegedly uncovered when he returned to the United States and underwent secondary screening by customs officials at Miami International Airport. He was arrested on December 15, 2021.
In July 2022, Hadeed pleaded guilty in federal court to using the mail to commit murder-for-hire, an offence that carried a maximum sentence of ten years imprisonment and a US$250,000 fine. He was sentenced three months later by US District Judge William P Dimitrouleas to 84 months in federal prison.
Before his arrest, Hadeed had been known in media and literary circles as a columnist and writer.
The National Library and Information System Authority described him as an avid reader and writer with academic qualifications in history and classical studies.
His arrest and subsequent conviction attracted significant attention in Trinidad and Tobago, particularly because of his previous work as a newspaper columnist and commentator.
No cause of death was listed in the obituary.
A post by former Arima Mayor, Ghassan Youseph, showed a picture of the funeral programme, with the words, “Rest in peace Ryan”, has been attracting comments of condolences on Hadeed’s passing.
