Prosecutors in Florida are seeking the death penalty for a Bangladeshi national indicted in the alleged execution-style killing of his sister-in-law, a crime authorities described as entirely preventable.
Shahidul Islam, 44, was indicted Wednesday by a Lake County grand jury on a charge of first-degree premeditated murder in the May 2, 2025, slaying of Monica Islam, 44, according to State Attorney Bill Gladson. The victim's body was found on the side of a Florida road.
Gladson stated that the crime would not have occurred if the system had functioned properly, detailing Islam's extensive history with the U.S. immigration system. Court and immigration records indicate Islam had been deported, subsequently re-entered the U.S. illegally, served a federal prison sentence for an immigration offense, and was later released under supervision.
Investigators allege that Shahidul Islam and his brother, Rashedul Islam, Monica Islam's husband, had faced accusations of domestic violence against her in a December 2024 case. Monica Islam was last seen at a convenience store where her daughter worked, and surveillance footage reportedly showed her walking toward Islam's vehicle before she disappeared.
A passerby discovered her body near an intersection outside Mount Dora the following morning. She had sustained a gunshot wound to the head.
Evidence cited by investigators includes phone records and online activity showing suspicious searches about murder on the morning of the killing. A search warrant for Islam’s vehicle reportedly uncovered a shattered passenger-side window, a bullet projectile in the door, and bloodstains, with DNA testing confirming the blood belonged to Monica Islam.
Following the murder, Islam allegedly rented another vehicle and traveled to New York City. He was eventually located and apprehended in New York through a joint law enforcement operation, prosecuted on a federal immigration charge, and returned to Lake County to face the murder charges. Florida Chief Financial Officer Blaise Ingoglia commented that Islam "illegally entered our country after being deported, committed this heinous crime, and then fled to a sanctuary city."