Crime Library: Criminal Minds and Methods

Dr. Yazeed Essa

A Life On The Lam

Deanna, Rosie's sister, had called the friend to ask him how his brother was doing, and the friend told him there was no accident.

In fact, according to a report in The Plain Dealer, Yaz had not headed south, but north to Detroit where he was met by his brother Firas and a few other people where they blew $50,000 at the MGM Grand Detroit Casino.

Then Yazeed disappeared.

Yazeed Essa
Yazeed Essa
While the family was frantically searching for him, Yazeed Essa had transformed from a small-town doctor living a normal life to a fugitive on the lam. He had passport under the name, "Maurice Khalife," and he had figured out how to move in underground circles.

He had hooked up with a man named Jamal Khalife in Beirut. According to Dateline, Khalife's brother was Essa's connection. The Khalifes obtained the false passport and set him up in an apartment.

Later, Khalife testified in court that Essa had told him everythingthe cyanide, the accident, and his escape.

The Associated Press reported that, over his years as a fugitive, Essa spent time on three continents. According to the office of Cuyahoga County Prosecutor Bill Mason, he had spent time first in Cyprus, then Lebanon, and had traveled to Greece, Syria, Miami, and eventually back to Cyprus.

While overseas, Essa played the part of an international, jet-setting playboya handsome doctor who frequented nightclubs and parties. According to The Plain Dealer, Firas testified that his brother would also hook up with women he met online.

It was in Cyprus where his run of luck would come to a stop.

Categories
We're Following
Slender Man stabbing, Waukesha, Wisconsin
Gilberto Valle 'Cannibal Cop'
Advertisement