Florida prosecutors are pursuing the death penalty against a man accused of returning to the United States after deportation, fatally shooting a woman in Florida and then fleeing to a sanctuary city.
Shahidul Islam, a 44-year-old Bangladeshi national, was charged Wednesday by a Lake County, Florida, grand jury with premeditated first-degree murder in the May 2, 2025, shooting death of his sister-in-law, Monica Islam.
State Attorney Bill Gladson of Florida’s Fifth Judicial Circuit said Monica Islam was reported missing on May 2 and was found hours later on the roadside with a gunshot wound to the head.
Investigators said she was last observed walking toward Shahidul Islam’s vehicle, and Gladson noted that authorities later found he had conducted multiple “suspicious” internet searches the morning she was killed.
Shahidul Islam, 44, was indicted Wednesday by a Florida grand jury. Authorities say he had re-entered the U.S. after being deported and is now accused of killing his sister-in-law. (Lake County Sheriff’s Office Florida/Facebook)
According to officials, a search warrant led investigators to bloodstains in Shahidul Islam’s car that matched Monica Islam’s DNA, as well as a bullet embedded in the passenger-side door and a broken passenger window.
After the shooting, Gladson said Shahidul Islam rented another vehicle and drove north to New York City.
He was eventually located through a coordinated operation involving local, state and federal law enforcement agencies.
State Attorney Bill Gladson of the Fifth Judicial Circuit provides an update on the Lake County, Fla., killing during a news conference. (WOFL)
After being prosecuted and sentenced for his unlawful entry into the U.S., Shahidul Islam was extradited back to Lake County. He is currently being held without bond at the Lake County Detention Facility.
Gladson’s office announced on Wednesday it is seeking the death penalty, citing the severe nature of the crime and its impact on the victim’s family.
“No family should ever have to endure the pain of such a senseless and horrific act of violence as this one,” Florida Chief Financial Officer Blaise Ingoglia wrote in a statement. “Shahidul Islam illegally entered our country after being deported, committed this heinous crime, and then fled to a sanctuary city.”
Officials said the suspect allegedly fled to New York City, a sanctuary city, following the killing. (iStock)
Ingoglia added Florida “will continue to stand firm against violent crime, sanctuary cities and illegal immigration,” and “will never apologize for putting the safety of law-abiding families first.”
Gladson said that while “no prosecution can restore the life that was taken,” his office intends to “pursue justice on their behalf and hold this offender accountable to the fullest extent of the law.”
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) did not immediately respond to INC News’s request for comment.
