Woman, 19, pleads guilty to role in robbery spree that turned deadly in Moorhead

A 19-year-old woman has admitted to being part of a robbery spree in the Fargo-Moorhead area that ended up killing one of the victims.

Kristy T. Vo, of Fargo, agreed Monday to plead guilty in Clay County District Court to aiding and abetting second-degree unintentional murder in connection with the death of 24-year-old cabdriver Abdullahi M. Abdullahi, whose body was found on May 5, 2021, in the wreckage of his van next to railroad tracks in the 300 block of S. 20th Street.

The plea agreement between the defense and the prosecution calls for Vo to receive a sentence of 10²⁄₃ years. With time in jail since her arrest, Vo is expected to serve nearly five years in prison and the balance on supervised release.

Her accomplice, Willie A. Sparkman Jr. 20, of Moorhead, pleaded guilty to second-degree unintentional murder and received a sentence just shy of 11 years. He'll serve roughly 6³⁄₄ of those years in prison and the remainder on supervised release.

According to the County Attorney's Office:

Officers who went to the crash scene saw a puncture wound in Abdullahi's armpit. Ambulance personnel arrived and declared Abdullahi dead.

A police detective found a bullet casing nearby. The detective's review of video surveillance in a parking lot showed a suspect later identified as Sparkman approach the cab, which drove away as Vo fled on foot. The taxi soon crashed.

Sparkman was found at his home by law enforcement and admitted shooting Abdullahi while trying to rob him but said it was an accident. He said he and Vo needed money for rent, and he used her phone to lure Abdullahi to the parking lot. He also admitted to other robbery incidents earlier that night.

Vo admitted her role in plotting the robberies with Sparkman. She said she drove their car that night and provided him with a knife as a weapon.