One fateful night in 2017, Sasha Samsudean was out in Orlando, celebrating life with friends.
Sadly, what should have been a fun evening turned into a nightmare, ending in a tragedy no one could have imagined.
Sasha, was found dead in her apartment that night.
Investigations later uncovered a shocking betrayal by someone she thought she could trust.
This is the chilling story of Sasha Samsudean, a beloved young professional whose life was tragically cut short in a very brutal way.
Sasha Samsudean was Born on July 4, 1988, in New York.
She moved to Orlando, Florida, with her family, where she grew up surrounded by love and community.
Sasha was known for her vibrant personality, which shone through in everything she did.
After graduating from the University of Florida, she became a key figure at "407Apartments.com."
This was a real estate company where she helped people find their dream homes in the bustling city of Orlando.
Known as the "cupid of apartment hunting," Sasha's passion for connecting people with their perfect living spaces made her a local expert.
In 2015, Sasha was living at "Uptown Place Condominiums".
This was a modern and secure building located in downtown Orlando's lively entertainment district.
Uptown Place was equipped with 24/7 security, video surveillance, and digital key codes, which gave its residents a sense of safety.
But on one fateful night, these security measures failed to protect Sasha from a predator lurking within.
A Night Out Turns Deadly: Sasha's Final Hours
On the night of October 16, 2017, 27-year-old Sasha went out with friends to Attic Nightclub, a popular spot in Orlando.
By the early hours of October 17, she decided to head home alone.
Sadly, this was her last interaction with friends and family.
Sasha had made plans to meet her friend Anthony Roper for breakfast later that morning, but Sasha never showed up.
Worried by her sudden silence, Anthony called and texted her multiple times, but got no response.
By afternoon, his worry grew.
Accompanied by two friends, Anthony drove to Sasha's apartment.
They found her car parked outside, with a baby shower gift still inside.
Feeling increasingly uneasy, they decided to call the police, requesting a welfare check on Sasha.
When officers arrived, they were greeted by an ominous smell of bleach.
They soon discovered Sasha's lifeless body wrapped in her comforter on her bed.
The scene was heartbreaking—she was partially clothed, her shirt and bra ripped, with no sign of her pants or underwear.
The brutal marks on her neck suggested strangulation, and the autopsy would later confirm blunt force trauma to her head and body.
An Inside Job: The Chilling Discovery of Sasha’s Killer
From the start, investigators noticed odd details that hinted at a struggle.
There were no signs of forced entry.
This suggested that Sasha either knew her killer or had been caught off guard.
Detectives immediately questioned the security guard, Stephen Duxbury, who was on duty at Uptown Place that night.
Duxbury claimed he had seen Sasha struggling to enter her apartment after arriving without an ID or key card.
He insisted he last saw her trying to punch in her digital code outside her door.
His story, however, would quickly unravel.
Surveillance footage became crucial in piecing together Sasha’s final moments.
The security cameras showed Sasha wandering around the building's hallways.
She appeared disoriented and intoxicated, with Duxbury following her closely.
Over the course of 40 minutes, Duxbury was seen trailing her, using his own key to access various restricted areas.
At one point, he even left the building carrying garbage bags only to return empty-handed.
This action was highly suspicious since trash duty wasn’t part of his job.
To make matters worse, a search of Duxbury's home uncovered his attempts to erase digital evidence.
He had used his phone to search how to override a Kwikset digital lock, the exact kind installed on Sasha’s door.
His 90-minute disappearance from security footage also coincided with the time investigators believed the attack occurred.
The Pursuit of Justice: Duxbury's Trial and Conviction
The digital and physical evidence against Duxbury continued to mount.
DNA swabs taken from Sasha’s neck and chest conclusively matched Duxbury’s.
The fingerprints found in her apartment, including on the toilet seat and nightstand, were linked to him as well.
Confronted with this damning evidence, Duxbury agreed to a polygraph test, which he failed.
However, he repeatedly denied any involvement in Sasha’s murder.
On October 30, 2017, just two weeks after Sasha’s death, Stephen Duxbury was arrested.
He was charged with first-degree murder, attempted sexual battery, and burglary.
During his trial, which lasted six days, the prosecution painted a chilling picture of a predator who exploited his position of trust.
The jury was shown the surveillance footage and heard about Duxbury's disturbing internet search history.
Additionally, he lied to investigators, and the forensic evidence tied him to the crime.
On November 21, 2017, the jury found Duxbury guilty on all counts.
He was sentenced to two life terms without the possibility of parole for Sasha’s murder, along with an additional 15 years for the burglary charge.
A Tragic Aftermath: A Fight for Accountability
The Samsudean family’s pain did not end with Duxbury’s conviction.
They filed a lawsuit against the Uptown Place Condominiums, the security company Vital Security, and the lock manufacturer.
The lawsuit revealed a troubling history: residents had previously filed complaints against Duxbury.
Among these complaints was one from a young woman who reported feeling uneasy when Duxbury followed her just months before Sasha's murder.
The suit argued that the lack of surveillance cameras in critical areas, like the hallways, created an environment where Duxbury could act without fear of being caught.
Sasha’s family pushed for greater accountability, hoping to prevent similar tragedies in the future.
Sasha Samsudean’s death sent shockwaves through Orlando, leaving a void in the lives of those who knew her.
Friends, family, and colleagues remembered her as a bright, kind-hearted woman who was full of life and potential.
In the wake of her murder, there were calls for increased safety measures in apartment complexes and for stricter background checks on security personnel.
While nothing can bring Sasha back, her story serves as a sobering reminder of the hidden dangers that can exist even in places we consider safe.
In another case, a woman was sentenced to 10 years of probation for allegedly killing her daughter and attempting to blame her toddler son.
See full details of that case here
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