Keith Jorel Hudson Gets 22 Years for Fake Sales, Shootings

Keith Jorel Hudson, 36, of Columbus, Ohio, is headed to federal prison for 264 months after using fake online listings to lure victims into violent, gunpoint robberies — shooting two men in cold blood. Hudson was sentenced today in U.S. District Court by Judge Sarah D. Morrison after pleading guilty in April 2021 to robbery and discharging a firearm during a crime of violence.

The first attack came on March 5, 2020, when a man arrived at a Spencer Court address expecting to buy a black Honda Accord from Hudson, who had posted the ad on Facebook Messenger. Instead, Hudson brandished a firearm, demanded the victim’s wallet and keys, and opened fire when the man tried to escape. The bullet struck the victim in the back of the neck, slicing through flesh and shattering the car window before exiting. The man managed to flag down police nearby and was rushed to Grant Hospital.

Just 15 days later, on March 20, 2020, Hudson struck again — this time posing as a female escort in a dating ad on a personals website. A second victim arrived at the Hickory Creek Apartments complex expecting to pay for sexual services. Hudson, waiting in ambush, pointed a handgun at the man and demanded money. The victim handed over $30 and turned to leave, then tried to photograph Hudson’s license plate. That’s when Hudson opened fire.

The gunman chased the fleeing victim in his vehicle, shooting again near Schrock Road and Ambleside Drive. One round hit the man in the hand and disabled his car. The attack left the victim injured and terrified, but alive. Columbus Police quickly tracked Hudson down and arrested him at the scene, ending a two-week crime spree built on deception and violence.

Hudson was charged in March 2020 and later admitted in court to using the ruse of online sales and escort ads to set up innocent people for robbery. His use of a firearm during both crimes triggered enhanced federal penalties, sealing his 22-year fate under federal sentencing guidelines.

Vipal J. Patel, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, along with ATF Special Agent in Charge Roland H. Herndon, Jr., and Columbus Police Chief Elaine Bryant, confirmed the sentence. Assistant U.S. Attorney Timothy Prichard prosecuted the case, calling Hudson’s actions a ‘cowardly betrayal of trust, weaponizing the internet to ambush strangers.’ The message is clear: scams that turn deadly will be met with maximum punishment.

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