Murders of Oluwatoyin Salau and Victoria Sims

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.

Murders of Oluwatoyin Salau and Victoria Sims
Location of Tallahassee in Leon County and the state of Florida
LocationTallahassee, Florida, U.S.
DateJune 13, 2020 (2020-06-13)
Attack type
Double-murder by ligature strangulation, rape, kidnapping
VictimsOluwatoyin 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

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
Salau in 2020
Born
Oluwatoyin Ruth Salau[2]

(2000-08-27)August 27, 2000[2]
Tallahassee, Florida, U.S.
DiedJune 13, 2020(2020-06-13) (aged 19)
Tallahassee, Florida, U.S.
Cause of deathMurder by ligature strangulation
Resting placeOakland Cemetery
EducationLincoln 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][20] around 9:15 pm local time near Monday Road in southeastern Tallahassee.[21] Salau's body was discovered with that of Victoria Sims, a 75-year-old who had been active in local politics.[21][22]

Salau was buried at Oakland Cemetery in Tallahassee.[5]

Suspect

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.[23]

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.[24]

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.[25] 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][20][26] 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

References
  1. Barrera, Elena. "Aaron Glee gets life in prison after families 'torn apart' by brutal double murder". Tallahassee Democrat. Retrieved September 26, 2023.
  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. "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. "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. 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. McBride, Jessica (June 13, 2020). "Oluwatoyin Salau: Tallahassee, Florida Black Lives Matter Protester Was Missing". Heavy.com. Retrieved June 15, 2020.
  8. "Black Lives Matter activist Oluwatoyin Salau, 19, reportedly found dead after tweet". Al Arabiya English. June 15, 2020. Retrieved June 15, 2020.
  9. Hassanein, Nada (June 15, 2020). "Florida protester Oluwatoyin Salau, 19, found dead in Tallahassee after going missing". USA TODAY. Retrieved June 15, 2020.
  10. 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. Deliso, Meredith (June 16, 2020). "Suspect charged with murder, kidnapping in Oluwatoyin Salau case". ABC News. Retrieved June 17, 2020.
  20. "Oluwatoyin Salau: #JusticeForToyin trends after sexually assaulted 19-year-old BLM protester found dead". meaww.com. Retrieved June 15, 2020.
  21. Jefferson, J'na (June 15, 2020). "Death of Oluwatoyin Salau: What We Know So Far". The Root. Retrieved June 15, 2020.
  22. 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.
  23. 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.
  24. Roberson, Amber (June 16, 2020). "Man arrested in deaths of activist Oluwatoyin Salau and volunteer Vicki Sims in Florida: What we know". USA Today.
  25. "Man accused of murdering two Tallahassee women backs out of guilty plea, insists on trial".
  26. "Tallahassee Model and Black Lives Matter Activist Oluwatoyin "Toyin" Salau Found Slain After Going Missing". Glitter Magazine. June 15, 2020. Retrieved June 17, 2020.
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