KATY, Texas – A Katy man and a Houston accomplice have each been sentenced to life in federal prison for a murder-for-hire plot that left an innocent man shot multiple times along Highway 99 — the wrong target.
Michael Seery, 43, of Katy, and Ricardo Obando Jr., 52, of Houston, were convicted Feb. 5 following an eight-day trial. U.S. District Judge David Hittner imposed the life sentences.
Innocent Man Shot on Highway 99
Prosecutors said Seery hired Obando to kill a man he believed had an affair with his wife while Seery was in prison — a relationship that had occurred 12 years earlier. On the morning of Feb. 4, 2025, Obando shot the victim multiple times along Highway 99 as the man drove to work, striking him in the neck, torso and hand. The victim survived.
Target Had Already Moved; Wrong Man Paid the Price
Seery had targeted the wrong man. The intended target had moved from the address where Seery believed he lived.
Seery Hired Hitman Over Decade-Old Affair
Seery's wife and the actual intended target both testified. According to testimony Seery remained angry about the affair as recently as January 2025, weeks before the shooting.
Jury Rejects Both Defenses; Life Sentences Imposed
Jurors watched dash-cam footage of the shooting and heard the victim's 911 call. Cell phone evidence showed Obando conducted surveillance and made at least one failed attempt before carrying out the attack. Seery allegedly paid Obando through a business arrangement and used a 3D printer to manufacture the firearm and silencer believed to have been used in the shooting.
Both men remain in custody pending transfer to a federal facility.
The FBI, Harris County Sheriff's Office, Texas Department of Public Safety and Katy Police Department investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Hunter Brown and Jill Stotts prosecuted.