Murders of Oluwatoyin Salau and Victoria Sims | |
---|---|
Location | Tallahassee, Florida, U.S. |
Date | June 13, 2020 |
Attack type | Double-murder by ligature strangulation, rape, kidnapping |
Victims |
|
Motive | Attempt to avoid arrest for previous sexual assault |
Accused | Aaron Lee Glee, Jr. (confessed) |
Verdict | Life imprisonment |
Charges |
|
On June 13, 2020, two community activists local to the Tallahassee area, 19-year old Oluwatoyin Salau and 75-year old Victoria Sims, were found murdered in Tallahassee, Florida.
The suspect, Aaron Glee Jr., who was 49 at the time of the murders, was arrested and charged with first-degree murder and felony murder among other charges. He pleaded guilty to first-degree murder and kidnapping to avoid the death penalty, which the prosecution sought. However, Glee was sentenced to life in prison on September 22, 2023. [1]
Oluwatoyin Salau | |
---|---|
Born | Oluwatoyin Ruth Salau [2] August 27, 2000 [2] Tallahassee, Florida, U.S. |
Died | June 13, 2020 19) Tallahassee, Florida, U.S. | (aged
Cause of death | Murder by ligature strangulation |
Resting place | Oakland Cemetery |
Education | Lincoln High School |
Salau was born on August 27, 2000, in Tallahassee, Florida. [3] She was a Nigerian-American, [4] [5] A devout Christian, she was the youngest member of her church choir whilst growing up. [3]
Salau attended Buck Lake Elementary School and Swift Creek Middle School in Tallahassee, [3] and graduated from Lincoln High School in 2018. [6] Following graduation, she studied cosmetology at Lively Technical College, simultaneously starting her business in hairdressing and modeling. [3] In 2019, Salau enrolled at Tallahassee Community College while still at Lively, intending to study law at Florida A&M University thereafter. [3]
Salau disappeared on Saturday, June 6, 2020, shortly after tweeting about being sexually assaulted. Salau was found murdered in Tallahassee, Florida, on Saturday, June 13, 2020, [7] [8] [9] and her death was confirmed on Monday, June 15, 2020. [9]
Salau was an active participant in the 2020 Black Lives Matter protests in Tallahassee, Florida, described as an "emerging leader" [10] and "prominent voice" [11] in the movement. She had advocated on behalf of Tony McDade in particular. [10]
Oluwatoyin @virgingrltoyin Anyways I was molested in Tallahassee, Florida by a black man this morning at 5:30 on Richview and Park Ave. The man offered to give me a ride to find someplace to sleep and recollect my belongings from a church I refuged to a couple days back to escape unjust living conditions.
June 6, 2020 [12]
Shortly before her disappearance, on June 6, 2020, she tweeted that she was sexually assaulted by a black man after he offered to give her a ride back to a church where she sought refuge because of unjust living conditions. [13] She was last seen alive on June 10, 2020. [14]
After a search by community residents, the Tallahassee Community Action Committee, and Tallahassee Police Department, [15] [16] [17] [18] [19] her body was found on June 14, 2020 [8] around 9:15 pm local time near Monday Road in southeastern Tallahassee. [20] Salau's body was discovered with that of Victoria Sims, a 75-year-old who had been active in local politics. [20] [21]
Salau was buried at Oakland Cemetery in Tallahassee. [5]
The suspect in Salau and Sims's deaths, Aaron Glee Jr., was arrested in Orlando, Florida during the early hours of June 14 and charged with murder and kidnapping. [19] Glee later confessed to the murder and rape of Salau. [22]
The bodies of Salau and Sims were found near his rental home in Tallahassee the night before. He had been arrested previously, less than a month prior, for aggravated battery after a police officer saw him kicking a woman in the stomach when she refused his sexual advances. [23]
In January 2023, Glee rejected a proposed plea deal by the prosecution for a sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole instead of the death penalty as they had originally sought. [24] He later pleaded guilty to first-degree murder and kidnapping. On September 22, 2023, Glee was sentenced to life in prison. [1]
''RIP Toyin'' and ''Toyin'' trended on Twitter alongside the hashtag #JusticeForToyin after the news went out that Salau's body had been found. [7] [25] Abike Dabiri, chairman of the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission called on the U.S. Government to ensure a thorough investigation of Salau's murder. [4]
Toyin is a given name of Yoruba origin and the diminutive form of Oluwatoyin or Olutoyin.
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Tallahassee Police identified the suspect in the case as Aaron Glee Jr., 49. He is in police custody.