OSCEOLA COUNTY, Fla. — A jury found 21-year-old Anas Muhammad guilty Wednesday of first-degree murder with a weapon in the 2022 stabbing death of 16-year-old Paola Pagan.
The verdict came after a two-day trial. Jurors deliberated for less than an hour and a half before reaching their decision.
Prosecutors said Muhammad, who was 17-years-old at the time of the killing, fatally stabbed Pagan, his neighbor, at their apartment complex in 2022.
During closing arguments, the defense argued prosecutors had failed to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Muhammad committed the crime, telling jurors the facts did not support the state’s theory of the case.
In rebuttal, prosecutors said the evidence pointed directly to Muhammad, citing what they said was the defendant’s blood found under Pagan’s fingernails and his confession to investigators.
The confession was a key part of the state’s case. Prosecutors disputed the defense’s claim that Muhammad had been coerced into confessing, arguing he provided investigators with details about the killing that only the perpetrator would have known, including identifying the weapon used before investigators disclosed that information.
Prosecutors also told jurors Muhammad told investigators during an interview that he would have killed anyone who was in his path that day.
Members of Pagan’s family were present in the courtroom for closing arguments and the verdict but declined to speak on camera afterward.
Muhammad is scheduled to be sentenced on Oct. 9.
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