Mastermind In Murder-For-Hire In Tulsa Set To Be Released From Prison

The mastermind in a murder for hire in Tulsa is set to be released from prison on Wednesday after serving 11 years of a 32-year sentence.

Mohammed Aziz pled guilty in 2013 to hiring another man to kill former TU Football player and Tulsa Businessman Neal Sweeney.

Based on the way DOC calculates time with good behavior and taking classes, Aziz got a years’ worth of credit, for every four months he served, which is why he is being released now.

Aziz pled guilty to hiring a man to murder Sweeney over a business dispute. Aziz owned a gas station and Sweeney's company provided the fuel, but Aziz wasn't paying his fuel bills, so he was sued.

"I still remember it like it was yesterday. A call went out as a shooting at an office complex out in East Tulsa,” said Tulsa County Sheriff Vic Regalado.

Regalado was the lead Tulsa Police homicide detective on the case at the time, that took more than five years. He says Aziz set the murder in motion and Terrico Bethel was the shooter, who walked into Sweeney's office, then shot and killed him.

"Neal Sweeney was a pillar of the community. A former TU football player, well respected businessman in the community. Was married to his high school sweetheart for years,” said Regalado.

Aziz admitted he was behind it all and was sent to prison for 32 years for soliciting a murder.

"This is an individual who hasn't shown any regret, any sorrow, and is now getting out after having done just under half of what his sentence was,” said Regalado.

DOC says that based on the way they calculate time, Aziz has served his sentence. He was given credits for good behavior up until 2020, and more credits for taking classes. Some months, Aziz got from 75 to 100 days credit for one month served.

"What does that say? That says to me, we don't care about the victims of this tragedy. We don't care about justice. It's time citizens in Tulsa and around start to mobilize and start demanding more out of their legislators, their lawmakers and policymakers,” said Regalado.

Sheriff Regalado says he's angry to see this happen after years of hard work to get justice for the Sweeney family. But he's even more angry to see the family victimized yet again.

"I hope that this will be a sounding off for people to say, enough is enough. We've got to start doing real criminal justice reform,” said Regalado.

Aziz's prison time card says he was given 180 days of credit for one month in March of this year. After Aziz is released on Wednesday, he will be on two and a half years of supervised probation.