Who were the suspects arrested in connection with Adan Farrid Katami's murder? Details explored ahead of Snapped on Oxygen

In Adan Farrid Katami's murder-for-hire shooting death case, four suspects were reportedly arrested. The father-of-one and California entrepreneur was shot to death in the Cherryland area in July 2016 while on his way to pick up his daughter from Memphis.

A search for the shooter and red Jeep Wrangler led detectives to Johnny Wright Jr. and Chariott Burks in the following days. It was only later discovered that the duo had been hired by Katami's business partner Tikisha Upshaw and her associate, Wessley Brown. All four were charged with murder alongside other charges. Upshaw allegedly wanted the victim murdered due to a recent fallout.

Adan Farrid Katami's case is set to be revisited on Oxygen's Snapped on Sunday, August 27, 2023, in an episode titled Tikisha Upshaw, which is scheduled to air on the channel at 6 pm ET.

Here's an official synopsis that discloses other details about the case:

"When a beloved father and driven entrepreneur is fatally shot at a busy California intersection, authorities discover a recent business venture that led one partnership to turn deadly."

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The investigation into Adan Farrid Katami's killing culminated in the arrest of four suspects and disclosed an evil murder plot

Adan Farrid Katami was gunned down by a shooter in the Cherryland area of North Hayward, California. The man was reportedly waiting in a red Jeep Wrangler with a second suspect. As soon as Katami's red Dodge truck stopped to make a left turn on Blossom Road sometime around 1 pm, the gunman approached his vehicle and shot the 38-year-old multiple times at point blank range.

Several sources reported that Katami was on his way to Memphis to pick up his four-year-old daughter. Following the shooting, which was witnessed by several people, the shooter fled on foot towards the nearby railroad tracks and the getaway driver drove away in the red Jeep. Sherriff's deputies arrived at the crime scene and pronounced the Katami dead.

Using surveillance footage, witness accounts, search dogs, and a helicopter, detectives identified and located Johnny Wright Jr. as the alleged shooter within days. He was arrested in San Lorenzo after his "distinctive shoes matched those of the suspect depicted in the video surveillance." Shortly after, Chariott Burks was also arrested in the red Jeep Wrangler in the same area.

Adan Farrid Katami (Image via Duggan's Serra Mortuary)

Six months later, detectives linked both suspects to Adan Farrid Katami's business partner Tikisha Upshaw, a marijuana grower, after diving deep into the victim's life and businesses. They learned of Katami's and Upshaw's joint marijuana-growing business and also found out key information about their fallout.

The Memphis Commercial Appeal stated that Alameda County Sheriff Sgt. Ray Kelly alleged how it's not unusual in the drug business and that it seemed like Upshaw "wanted Katami eliminated from the picture" for good. After a dragged-out investigation, she was eventually arrested in December of that same year.

However, the name of a fourth suspect, Wessley Brown, also surfaced, who was arrested in late December after Upshaw's arrest. Detectives believed the two hired Wright and Burks to have Katami killed.

The outlet further reported that Sgt. Kelly believed Upshaw and Brown hired the hitmen from Tennessee, which is over 2,000 miles and a 30-hour drive away, as a possible strategy to mislead the ensuing investigation and called the murder "an elaborate plot. He reportedly said:

"It’s a long way to go to commit a murder, but it also (makes) a great alibi. The distance helps throw off the scent of law enforcement. It worked, for a time. This is obviously an elaborate plot. A lot of thought went into this, and so I think four dangerous people are off the street."

All four suspects were reportedly charged with murder among other damaging charges.

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Learn more about Adan Farrid Katami's murder-for-hire case in the upcoming episode of Snapped on Oxygen.