Olayiwola Matthew
A US county court has sentenced Nicholas Giroux, a 37-year-old American, to life imprisonment plus 20 years for the murder of Isaiah Olugbemi, a Nigerian-born amateur boxer, in the country.
In June 2024, Olugbemi was found dead on the ground with gunshot wounds along Meadowmist Way, Odenton, Maryland.
Court documents later revealed that the police obtained surveillance footage showing a white male confronting Olugbemi with a handgun before shooting him multiple times and fleeing the scene on foot.
A day later, the police said they interviewed Giroux and he confessed to the crime and was charged with first and second-degree murder.
In the ruling on the case on August 26, Richard Trunnell, the judge, sentenced Giroux to life plus 20 years for first-degree murder and use of a firearm in a crime of violence.
The defendant is expected to serve the sentence consecutively in the city’s correctional facility.
Following the sentencing, Anne Colt Leitess, the state’s attorney for Anne Arundel County, described the incident as “a cruel and senseless murder”.
She added that the sentence is “deserved”.
“Mr. Olugbemi was a father and rising star in amateur boxing. This was what took the life of someone with great promise.” Leitess said.
“The callousness and lack of remorse on the part of this defendant is really disturbing. He deserves this sentence. And to the family and friends of Mr. Olugbemi, I hope that today provides some sense of justice for this terrible ordeal.”
Olugbemi was a Junior Olympics gold medalist, a three-time Golden Gloves state boxing champion and a two-time Open Regional champion.