Left: Nicholas Giroux (Anne Arundel County Jail). Right: Isaiah Olugbemi (Ever Loved).
A Maryland man will spend the rest of his days behind bars after he murdered an up-and-coming boxer over loud music, authorities say.
Nicholas Francis Giroux, 37, received a life sentence plus 20 years on Tuesday for the murder of Isaiah Olugbemi, aged 27, a neighbor of his. The sentencing was announced by the Anne Arundel County State’s Attorney’s Office. In February, Giroux admitted guilt to charges of first-degree murder and the use of a firearm in a violent crime.
The Anne Arundel County Police Department responded at approximately 9:44 p.m. to reports of a shooting at a townhome located on the 500 block of Meadowmist Way in Odenton, about 20 miles south of Baltimore. Upon arrival, officers found Olugbemi with multiple gunshot wounds. He was immediately transported to a hospital, where he was declared deceased.
The incident was recorded on surveillance footage, which displayed Giroux approaching Olugbemi and shooting him several times with a handgun. Afterward, Giroux returned to shoot three additional rounds, according to the prosecutors. He subsequently retreated to his nearby townhome before escaping in a van.
Prosecutors stated that Giroux had ongoing disputes with Olugbemi and his family concerning loud music. Around two weeks before the deadly incident, Giroux had confronted the victim during a cookout over the noise. Although he brandished a handgun during the confrontation, he did not aim it at anyone, which resulted in no arrest at that time.
Following the shooting, authorities interviewed Giroux, during which he admitted to the crime and disclosed the location of the firearm he used. It was reported by Washington, D.C., affiliate WRC that Giroux had shot the victim 14 times.
The defendant also reportedly accused Olugbemi’s family of selling drugs, saying he did the state a favor and “I still want my medal of honor.”
But any vigilante defense ultimately fell apart, thanks to Giroux’s jailhouse calls.
“This is what happens when you f— with my sleep schedule,” Giroux stated in a recorded call played in court, according to WRC. “You don’t wake up.”
Olugbemi was born in New York before moving to Maryland while he was in elementary school, his obituary said. He was on the football, wrestling and track teams in high school, graduating in 2015. Six years later he picked up another sport: boxing. He excelled, winning a Golden Gloves national championship in the 203-pound division in 2024 — just three weeks before his death.
“He was laser focused and poured his heart and soul into it; training three times daily with an eye and heart aimed to the absolute top,” his obituary said.
His brother Daniel Olugbemi told WRC that “the world lost a gem.”
“I can tell you that without any doubt. It’s the loss for the world, because Isaiah had so much to offer. And it was just cut short at the prime of his life,” he said.
The victim also was a dad.
“Mr. Olugbemi was a father and rising star in amateur boxing. This was a cruel and senseless murder that took the life of someone with great promise,” State’s Attorney Anne Colt Leitess said. “The callousness and lack of remorse on the part of this Defendant is really disturbing. He deserves this sentence.”
