(Orlando Police Department)
A security guard from Sasha Samsudean’s building has been accused of her rape and murder. The suspect in the heinous crime has been named as Stephen Duxbury, 33. He worked as a guard at Samsudean’s Orlando apartment building Uptown Place. Duxbury is facing charges of murder, sexual battery and burglary. He’s being held without bail at Volusia County jail.
Here’s what you need to know:
1. There Were No Signs of Forced Entry to Her Home
Police in Orlando had earlier announced that Samsudean’s body was found by officers at around 8 p.m. on October 17 after her friends found it suspicious that they hadn’t heard from her all day. An Orlando police spokesperson said that there were no signs of forced entry to her apartment but have not said if there were any bruises or signs of a struggle on Samsudean’s body. The Orlando Sentinel reports that she had been strangled.
(Volusia County Jail)
Speaking at a press conference announcing the arrest of Duxbury, Detective Dan Brady said “This was a deliberate and careful investigation that led to the murder arrest.” While Chief John Mina said that Duxbury “used his access to prey on a vulnerable person.”
Sasha Samsudean’s apartment building. (Google Street View)
My News 13 reported that cops had been seen at her apartment building, off North Orange Avenue in the city, for days after the killing handing out fliers to residents and passers by. A resident there, Amber Hirschfeld, told the station “It could have happened to any of us. It’s really easy to, like, get into the building if you don’t live here. You can just kind of walk in.”
One neighbor, Liz Scarborough, told WESH, that “It’s pretty vague to just tell us that something happened and not give us any details as to what. Not even close to details.” That station also reports that Samsudean graduated from Seminole High School in 2006, where she was on the Dazzlers dance team, before graduating from the University of Florida. My News 13 reports that on the day she died, Samsudean had been with friends at a bar called Side Bar to watch an Orlando City soccer game, just down the block from her place. Orlando Police Sgt. Wanda Ford told the media on October 20 “Actually we’ve given a lot of information. We know that she went out. We know that she walked home and we know that she made it home and that’s all we have and that’s why we’re asking for the public’s assistance in this…we’re really looking into Uptown Apartments and trying to figure it out, because we know that she made it inside her apartment…Just know that homicide is still working on it. There’s some details that we have to just trust that our homicide detectives and that they’re looking at everything to solve this.”
2. He’s an Air Force Veteran
(LinkedIn)
According to his LinkedIn page, Duxbury is a United States Air Force veteran. He’s also a graduate of Strayer University. Duxbury describes himself as:
Hard working individual who always seeks new experiences in life to learn from. Overall objectives are to be in a career where I feel that I make a difference and I love doing as well as work with like minded individuals who share a common goal with me, and that goal is to do the best we can in life both on and off the job.
3. She Was an Award Winning Charity Volunteer
(LinkedIn)
According to her LinkedIn page, Samsudean was a New York native, born in the city in 1988. On her profile, she writes that she worked for educational services firm Pearson, managing their social media accounts. Samsudean was also a volunteer with the Apartment Association of Greater Orlando. That group paid tribute to her on their Facebook page, writing:
Our association family was saddened to hear of the untimely passing of Sasha Samsudean this weekend. Sasha was one of a kind, a tireless volunteer, and had an awesomely infectious personality you couldn’t help but admire. Our thoughts and prayers are with Sasha’s family and friends during this difficult time. We will miss you, Sasha.
In 2012, she was named Account Executive of the Year at the the AAGS’s Golden Key Awards.
4. Her Funeral Contained a Mix of 3 Different Faiths
(Orlando Police Department)
Samsudean was laid to rest on October 20 at a mixed faith service in Orlando, reports the Sentinel. The newspaper says that the service was private and that it blended Hindu, Islamic and Christian practices. She is survived by her parents and brother Ken Samsudean Jr. He was critically injured in a 2012 bizarre car accident when he, along with three others, were hit while their vehicles were stopped in east Orlando.
5. Duxbury Could Face the Death Penalty
Sasha Samsudean is in my prayers, dazzlers never forgotten 😞
According to Florida state law, if Duxbury is convicted on charges of first degree murder, he could face death or at the very least, life in prison. Find Law states that a possible defense to that charge is the defendant being able to show a lack of premeditation.