In an apartment in Aurora, Colorado, on the evening of March 21, 2020, the life of 22-year-old Surajadin Mohamed Ahmed was tragically cut short. What began as a supposed marijuana transaction turned into a violent robbery. Two men, Octavis Styles and Thomas Boles, had gone to Ahmed's apartment in the 10900 block of East 16th Avenue with the intention of purchasing marijuana.
Following a brief conversation, Ahmed went into the bathroom and closed the door.
It was at this moment that Styles and Boles brandished handguns, threatening the other individuals present in the apartment. In a senseless act of violence, Styles fired three shots through the closed bathroom door, striking Ahmed in the back, stomach, and leg. The two assailants then stole several large bags of marijuana and fled the scene. Emergency services were called, and Ahmed was rushed to the hospital, but he succumbed to his injuries.
An investigation by the Aurora Police Department led them to identify Octavis Styles as a suspect. After being on the run for nearly nine months, Styles was apprehended in Florida in December 2020 and extradited back to Colorado to face charges. His accomplice, Thomas Boles, was also taken into custody.
In the end, both men were held accountable for their roles in the death of Surajadin Mohamed Ahmed. Boles pleaded guilty to aggravated robbery with a deadly weapon and was sentenced to 19 years in prison. Octavis Styles pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in March 2022 and received a 32-year prison sentence.
