US Court Sentences Nigerian Activist, Oluwatoyin’s Murderer to Life Imprisonment
In the United States, a Florida judge has handed down a life imprisonment sentence to Aaron Glee for the 2020 murders of two individuals: 19-year-old Black Lives Matter activist Oluwatoyin Salau and 75-year-old Victoria Sims.
Initially, Glee had the option to plead guilty in January 2023, but he chose to go through a trial instead. In June, the 52-year-old Glee decided to plead guilty to a first-degree murder and kidnapping charge. Rather than facing the possibility of the death penalty, he opted to spend the rest of his life behind bars.
Salau, a student at Tallahassee Community College who actively participated in Black Lives Matter demonstrations, went missing in 2020, just a few days before the disappearance of Sims.
Before her disappearance, on June 6, 2020, Salau had shared a series of tweets, including one about a recent sexual assault she had experienced. She was also trying to escape abusive conditions within her own family.
Glee had restrained Salau and held her captive for several days, during which he admitted to sexually assaulting her multiple times before eventually taking her life. Subsequently, Glee invaded Sims’ residence and kidnapped her as well.
The bodies of the two women were discovered by the police after tracking Sims’ phone, which had been taken by Glee during the home invasion. Sims’ body was found in one of Glee’s bedrooms, covered with a blood-stained sheet.
Salau’s remains were located beneath a pile of leaves in a wooded area behind Glee’s rented house in Tallahassee.
After committing these heinous acts, Glee attempted to evade the authorities by boarding a Greyhound bus, but he was eventually apprehended in Orlando.
The murder of Salau prompted the hashtag #JusticeForToyin to trend on Twitter, and Abike Dabiri-Erewa also joined the call for justice.
During the court proceedings, Rebecca Figueroa, a friend of Salau, expressed deep regret and guilt for not answering a phone call from her friend on the night of the tragedy. She conveyed her anger towards Glee and emphasized that they were forever changed by his actions.
Figueroa later advocated for Glee to receive the death penalty, asserting that consecutive life sentences were a more generous gift than he deserved.
Victoria Salau, Oluwatoyin Salau’s mother, who had relocated to Tallahassee from Chicago in the belief that it would be a safer community, described her daughter as a brilliant and compassionate individual who could have positively impacted countless lives if not for her untimely demise. She also mentioned that her daughter had prayed for Glee’s salvation while he held her captive.
Victoria Sims, a volunteer for AARP Florida, was remembered as a kind-hearted woman who greeted everyone with a warm smile. Leslie Spencer, associate state director for AARP Florida, lauded her as one of the kindest and gentlest souls she had ever known, an individual unafraid to ask tough questions of policymakers. She remarked that the void left by Sims would be challenging to fill.
Sims’ daughter, June Campos, delivered a victim impact statement in court, describing her mother as an angel who had walked among them. She stated that on June 13, 2020, the earthly light of this angel was extinguished, and she was called back to the heavens. Sims was an advocate for all human beings and human rights, even for individuals like Glee.
Ultimately, on September 22, 2023, Aaron Glee was sentenced to life in prison for his crimes.