ORLANDO, Fla. – A man was found guilty of murder on Thursday in Orange County, nearly two years after the death of Jacaris Rozier, the State Attorney’s Office announced.
According to the SAO, the convicted man — Ya Ken Maleeq Sowell, 24 — was involved in a plot to rob a man at the Millenia Mall after seeing him buy expensive items from the Gucci and Louis Vuitton stores.
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In February 2021, Sowell and an accomplice followed that man to his home on North Hyer Avenue, breaking in armed with guns and wearing masks, the SAO stated in a release.
The release shows that both Sowell and his accomplice ordered everyone in the home to get down on the floor and surrender their valuables. SAO officials said that Rozier — who was at the home during this time — was pushed to the ground by the gunmen, and he was shot when he tried to stand.
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Investigators said that Sowell and his accomplice were later taken into custody after their car was caught on several surveillance cameras.
A four-day trial ended Thursday afternoon with Sowell being found guilty of first-degree murder with a firearm and conspiracy to commit robbery with a weapon, the SAO explained. He was sentenced to life in prison.
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