Murders of Oluwatoyin Salau and Victoria Sims

Last updated

Murders of Oluwatoyin Salau and Victoria Sims
Leon County Florida Incorporated and Unincorporated areas Tallahassee Highlighted.svg
Location of Tallahassee in Leon County and the state of Florida
Location Tallahassee, Florida, U.S.
DateJune 13, 2020;3 years ago (2020-06-13)
Attack type
Double-murder by ligature strangulation, rape, kidnapping
Victims
    • Oluwatoyin Ruth "Toyin" Salau (aged 19)
    • Victoria "Vicki" Sims (aged 75)
MotiveAttempt to avoid arrest for previous sexual assault
AccusedAaron Lee Glee, Jr. (confessed)
VerdictLife 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.

Contents

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

Oluwatoyin Salau
Oluwatoyin Salau Twitter.jpg
Salau in 2020
Born
Oluwatoyin Ruth Salau [2]

(2000-08-27)August 27, 2000 [2]
DiedJune 13, 2020(2020-06-13) (aged 19)
Tallahassee, Florida, U.S.
Cause of death Murder by ligature strangulation
Resting placeOakland 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]

Salau's disappearance and discovery of bodies

Oluwatoyin Twitter
@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]

Accused

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]

Reaction

''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]

See also

Related Research Articles

Toyin is a given name of Yoruba origin and the diminutive form of Oluwatoyin or Olutoyin.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Black Lives Matter</span> Social movement originating in the US

Black Lives Matter (BLM) is a decentralized political and social movement that seeks to highlight racism, discrimination, and racial inequality experienced by black people, and promote anti-racism. Its primary concerns are incidents of police brutality and racially motivated violence against black people. It started following the killings of Trayvon Martin, Michael Brown, Eric Garner, and Rekia Boyd, among others. The movement and its related organizations typically advocate for various policy changes considered to be related to black liberation. While there are specific organizations that label themselves simply as "Black Lives Matter", such as the Black Lives Matter Global Network, the overall movement is a decentralized network of people and organizations with no formal hierarchy. The slogan "Black Lives Matter" itself remains untrademarked by any group. Despite being characterized by some as a violent movement, the overwhelming majority of its public demonstrations have been peaceful.

Johnetta "Netta" Elzie is an American civil rights activist. She is one of the leaders in the activist group We The Protesters and co-edits the Ferguson protest newsletter This Is the Movement with fellow activist DeRay Mckesson.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Murder of Mike Williams</span> American man murdered in Florida, U.S.

Jerry Michael "Mike" Williams was an American murder victim. Williams was initially presumed to have drowned on a 2000 hunting trip to Lake Seminole, a large reservoir straddling the Georgia-Florida state line; his mother always suspected he had been the victim of foul play, possibly at another location. His body was found in October 2017 near Tallahassee, and Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) officials confirmed he was a victim of homicide.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Candace Owens</span> American political commentator and activist (born 1989)

Candace Amber Owens Farmer is an American political commentator, author, activist, and television presenter. Owens is recognized as a prominent figure in conservative politics for her outspoken commentary on various social and political issues.

On November 2, 2018, a mass shooting occurred at Tallahassee Hot Yoga, a yoga studio located in Tallahassee, Florida, United States. The gunman, identified as Scott Paul Beierle, shot six women, two of them fatally, and pistol-whipped a man before killing himself.

Seven Last Words of the Unarmed is a choral composition by Atlanta-based composer Joel Thompson.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Killing of Tony McDade</span> Police killing of American man in Tallahassee, Florida

On May 27, 2020, after 11 a.m., a 38-year-old African-American transgender man, Tony McDade, was fatally shot in the Leon Arms apartment complex by an officer of the Tallahassee Police Department, following the fatal stabbing of Malik Jackson on nearby Saxon Street. Early reports of the incident misgendered McDade as a "woman", and on May 28, the police department described McDade as a woman who "identified as a man". On September 3, a Leon County grand jury found that the police use of force against McDade was justified. Police body camera showing McDade pointing a firearm at one of the police officers before being shot was also released.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">George Floyd protests</span> 2020–2023 police brutality protests

The George Floyd protests were a series of police brutality protests that began in Minneapolis in the United States on May 26, 2020. The civil unrest and protests began as part of international reactions to the murder of George Floyd, a 46-year-old African American man, during an arrest. Derek Chauvin, a Minneapolis Police Department officer, knelt on Floyd's neck for 9 minutes and 29 seconds as three other officers looked on and prevented passers-by from intervening. Chauvin and the other three officers involved were later arrested. In April 2021, Chauvin was found guilty of second-degree murder, third-degree murder, and second-degree manslaughter. In June 2021, Chauvin was sentenced to 22+12 years in prison.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">George Floyd protests in Oregon</span> 2020 civil unrest after the murder of George Floyd

This is a list of George Floyd protests in the U.S. state of Oregon.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">George Floyd protests in Florida</span> 2020 civil unrest after the murder of George Floyd

This is a list of protests in Florida in response to the murder of George Floyd. On May 31, 2020, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis activated the Florida National Guard, and deployed 700 soldiers to assist law enforcement agencies across the state. Additionally, DeSantis instructed the Florida Highway Patrol to mobilize 1,300 troopers to assist in policing actions.

Individuals and organizations throughout the United States and the world have responded to the murder of George Floyd and the subsequent protests and riots.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Snow on tha Bluff (song)</span> 2020 single by J.Cole

"Snow on tha Bluff" is a song by American rapper J. Cole. Named after the 2012 drama film of the same name, the track addresses an unnamed woman, assumed to be fellow rapper and activist Noname, while touching on police brutality and race relations. The track's critical reception was mixed, and albeit with some praise for Cole's lyricism, with most criticizing him for taking aim at Noname.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation</span> Non-profit organization

The Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit civil rights organization dedicated to promoting the Black Lives Matter movement. The organization is often mistaken for other organizations within the Black Lives Matter movement because it often solely employs the phrase "Black Lives Matter" as its name and it also owns the domain name "blacklivesmatter.com" as its official website. While BLMGN often simply calls itself "Black Lives Matter," it is not the sole organization within the broader Black Lives Matter social movement. It is, however, the largest and most well-funded, and it also claims to speak on behalf of the movement. Efforts which were started in late 2020 by its then Executive Director Patrisse Cullors began to centralize its operations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aalayah Eastmond</span> American activist

Aalayah Eastmond is an American activist and advocate for gun violence prevention, social justice, and racial equality. After surviving the Stoneman Douglas High School shooting, Eastmond began her activism during the 2018 United States gun violence protests. She has testified multiple times to the U.S. Congress. Eastmond is an executive council member of Team Enough, a youth-led gun violence prevention organization which is part of the Brady Campaign. Eastmond co-founded Concerned Citizens of DC in the wake of the murder of George Floyd to organize protests supporting social justice issues in Washington, D.C. She supports Black Lives Matter and protests against police brutality.

Sasha Johnson is a British woman who has been an activist and member of Taking the Initiative Party (TTIP). A student of Ruskin College, she was involved in the Rhodes Must Fall protest, and with Black Lives Matter and Kill the Bill protests.

Tameka Bradley Hobbs is a historian, educator, author, and activist. She currently serves as the Library Regional Manager of Broward County Library's African American Research Library and Cultural Center in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. She previously served as associate provost of Florida Memorial University and the founding director of the FMU Social Justice Institute think tank and research center. She is the author of the 2015 history book Democracy Abroad, Lynching at Home: Racial Violence in Florida.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lucille Baldwin Brown</span> American librarian (1922–2019)

Lucille Baldwin Holliday Brown was an American librarian known for being the first Black public county librarian in the state of Florida. During segregation she led a campaign for a library for Leon County's black residents. That library was housed in a local school, Lincoln High School.

References

  1. 1 2 Barrera, Elena. "Aaron Glee gets life in prison after families 'torn apart' by brutal double murder". Tallahassee Democrat. Retrieved September 26, 2023.
  2. 1 2 "Obituary for Oluwatoyin Ruth Salau at Tillman Funeral Home Tallahassee". Tillman Funeral Home. Archived from the original on June 18, 2020. Retrieved June 18, 2020.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 "Obituary for Oluwatoyin Ruth Salau". Legacy.com . Tallahassee Democrat. June 24, 2020. Archived from the original on July 9, 2020. Retrieved July 9, 2020.
  4. 1 2 "Nigeria Urges US To Probe Murder Of Nigerian-American Activist Toyin Salau". Sahara Reporters . June 16, 2020. Archived from the original on June 16, 2020. Retrieved June 18, 2020.
  5. 1 2 Hassanein, Nada (June 28, 2020). "At her funeral, loved ones gather to remember 'bright, resilient' Oluwatoyin Salau". Tallahassee Democrat . Retrieved July 9, 2020.
  6. Wheeler, Emma (June 16, 2020). "Friends remember Black Lives Matter activist Toyin Salau". WCTV . Retrieved June 18, 2020.
  7. 1 2 McBride, Jessica (June 13, 2020). "Oluwatoyin Salau: Tallahassee, Florida Black Lives Matter Protester Was Missing". Heavy.com. Retrieved June 15, 2020.
  8. 1 2 "Black Lives Matter activist Oluwatoyin Salau, 19, reportedly found dead after tweet". Al Arabiya English. June 15, 2020. Retrieved June 15, 2020.
  9. 1 2 Hassanein, Nada (June 15, 2020). "Florida protester Oluwatoyin Salau, 19, found dead in Tallahassee after going missing". USA TODAY. Retrieved June 15, 2020.
  10. 1 2 Stieb, Matt (June 16, 2020). "Everything We Know About the Death of Black Lives Matter Activist Oluwatoyin Salau". New York Magazine Intelligencer. Retrieved June 16, 2020.
  11. Nieto del Rio, Giulia McDonnell (June 15, 2020). "Oluwatoyin Salau, Missing Black Lives Matter Activist, Is Found Dead". The New York Times. Retrieved June 16, 2020.
  12. Oluwatoyin [@virgingrltoyin] (June 6, 2020). "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" (Tweet) via Twitter.
  13. Hassanein, Nada. "Black Lives Matter protestor in Florida still missing after tweeting about sexual assault". USA TODAY. Retrieved June 15, 2020.
  14. Hassanein, Nada (June 15, 2020). "Florida protester Oluwatoyin Salau killed in Tallahassee after going missing". The Tallahassee Democrat. Retrieved June 16, 2020.
  15. "Black Lives Matter protester in Florida missing after tweeting about sexual assault". Washington Examiner. June 12, 2020. Retrieved June 15, 2020.
  16. Hassanein, Nada. "Tallahassee police, demonstrators still searching for missing Black Lives Matter protester". Tallahassee Democrat. Retrieved June 15, 2020.
  17. "TPD searching for missing 19-year-old activist last seen Saturday". WTXL. June 10, 2020. Retrieved June 15, 2020.
  18. Kaplan, Katie (June 11, 2020). "Tallahassee residents gather to look for missing activist". www.wctv.tv. Retrieved June 15, 2020.
  19. 1 2 Deliso, Meredith (June 16, 2020). "Suspect charged with murder, kidnapping in Oluwatoyin Salau case". ABC News . Retrieved June 17, 2020.
  20. 1 2 Jefferson, J'na (June 15, 2020). "Death of Oluwatoyin Salau: What We Know So Far". The Root. Retrieved June 15, 2020.
  21. Amber Roberson and Grace Pateras (June 15, 2020). "Protester Oluwatoyin Salau, AARP volunteer Vicki Sims found dead: What we know so far". Tallahassee Democrat . Retrieved June 15, 2020. Tallahassee Police identified the suspect in the case as Aaron Glee Jr., 49. He is in police custody.
  22. Burlew, Jeff (July 5, 2020). "Aaron Glee has been charged with murders of Oluwatoyin Salau and Vicki Sims in Florida. He 'would have killed again,' experts say". Tallahassee Democrat. Retrieved July 14, 2020.
  23. Roberson, Amber (June 16, 2020). "Man arrested in deaths of activist Oluwatoyin Salau and volunteer Vicki Sims in Florida: What we know". USA Today.
  24. "Man accused of murdering two Tallahassee women backs out of guilty plea, insists on trial".
  25. "Tallahassee Model and Black Lives Matter Activist Oluwatoyin "Toyin" Salau Found Slain After Going Missing". Glitter Magazine. June 15, 2020. Retrieved June 17, 2020.