Man sentenced for 2022 murder of Arlington car dealership owner
Brian Espy, 33, found guilty and sentenced to 55 years in prison for the 2022 murder of Adel Elhindawi. (Source: Tarrant County)
ARLINGTON, Texas - A man convicted in the shooting death of an Arlington car dealership owner in 2022 has been sentenced to 55 years in prison.
On Monday, May 16, 2022, Adel Elhindawi, the owner of Salem Autos, was shot while trying to retrieve a loaner car that had not been returned. He died from his injuries three days later.
Elhindawi was a husband and father of two.
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Brian Espy was arrested in Grand Prairie two days after the shooting.
Employees at the dealership said Espy bought a vehicle off the lot three weeks before the shooting, but the car was having mechanical issues. While Salem Autos was working on the car, a loaner was provided.
Adel Elhindawi
The car was fixed and returned two weeks later, but the loaner was never returned to the dealership.
Elhindawi and another employee went together to retrieve the loaner. That’s when he was shot.
RELATED: Car dealership owner shot trying to reclaim loaner car in Arlington
The employee with Elhindawi started up the Jeep and tried to exit the parking lot, when police said Espy opened fire.
Elhindawi, who was inside another vehicle, was struck in the head and crashed into a parked Cadillac.
An arrest affidavit said that’s when Espy hopped into his girlfriend’s car. The girlfriend was accused of blocking the employee driving the Jeep, and then police said Espy got out and threatened him with a gun, forcibly taking back the vehicle. He then drove off.
Elhindawi's employees said Salem Autos didn't usually give out loaner vehicles, but he was doing Espy a favor.