Defendant Sentenced to 32 Years in Prison for Fatally Shooting Victim Through a Bathroom Door in Aurora
May 24, 2022
Brighton, CO — Today, 17th Judicial District Attorney Brian Mason is announcing the 32-year Department of Corrections sentence for Octavis Styles, 26, following his guilty plea to Second-Degree Murder on March 18, 2022.
On March 21, 2020, Octavis Styles and Thomas Boles arrived at the apartment of Surajadin Ahmed, 22, along East 16th Avenue in Aurora, to purchase marijuana. After a short conversation, Ahmed went to the bathroom and closed the door.
While Ahmed was in the bathroom, Styles and Boles brandished handguns and threatened the other occupants of the home. Styles then fired three shots through the bathroom door which struck Ahmed. Styles and Boles grabbed several large bags of marijuana and fled the apartment.
Ahmed was struck in the back, stomach, and leg. He was transported to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead.
Through the course of a detailed investigation by the Aurora Police Department, Styles was identified as the suspect in this case. The defendant was arrested in Florida in December 2020 and extradited back to Colorado to face trial.
On March 18, 2022, Styles pleaded guilty in Adams County District Court to the following charge:
"This defendant pulled out a gun and fired into a closed bathroom door, killing an unsuspecting victim, all because he desired to steal a bag of marijuana," said District Attorney Brian Mason. “This was a brutal, senseless killing which defies explanation.”
Boles, the co-defendant in this case, previously pleaded guilty to Robbery Aggravated-Menacing Victim with a Deadly Weapon (F3) and was sentenced to 19 years in the Department of Corrections.
Chief Deputy District Attorney Stephanie Fritts and Deputy District Attorney Stephanie Ryder led the prosecution of these cases.
District Attorney Mason assumed the oath of office on January 12, 2021. The 17th Judicial District Attorney’s Office endeavors to seek justice on behalf of the citizens of Adams and Broomfield counties in felony and misdemeanor cases. DA Mason and his staff are dedicated to transforming the criminal justice system to better serve the citizens of the 17th Judicial District.
Go Back On March 21, 2020, Octavis Styles and Thomas Boles arrived at the apartment of Surajadin Ahmed, 22, along East 16th Avenue in Aurora, to purchase marijuana. After a short conversation, Ahmed went to the bathroom and closed the door.
While Ahmed was in the bathroom, Styles and Boles brandished handguns and threatened the other occupants of the home. Styles then fired three shots through the bathroom door which struck Ahmed. Styles and Boles grabbed several large bags of marijuana and fled the apartment.
Ahmed was struck in the back, stomach, and leg. He was transported to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead.
Through the course of a detailed investigation by the Aurora Police Department, Styles was identified as the suspect in this case. The defendant was arrested in Florida in December 2020 and extradited back to Colorado to face trial.
On March 18, 2022, Styles pleaded guilty in Adams County District Court to the following charge:
- Second-Degree Murder (F2)
"This defendant pulled out a gun and fired into a closed bathroom door, killing an unsuspecting victim, all because he desired to steal a bag of marijuana," said District Attorney Brian Mason. “This was a brutal, senseless killing which defies explanation.”
Boles, the co-defendant in this case, previously pleaded guilty to Robbery Aggravated-Menacing Victim with a Deadly Weapon (F3) and was sentenced to 19 years in the Department of Corrections.
Chief Deputy District Attorney Stephanie Fritts and Deputy District Attorney Stephanie Ryder led the prosecution of these cases.
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District Attorney Mason assumed the oath of office on January 12, 2021. The 17th Judicial District Attorney’s Office endeavors to seek justice on behalf of the citizens of Adams and Broomfield counties in felony and misdemeanor cases. DA Mason and his staff are dedicated to transforming the criminal justice system to better serve the citizens of the 17th Judicial District.