Neighbor Pleads Guilty To Killing Odenton Boxer: Prosecutor

ODENTON, MD — Prosecutors said an Odenton man pleaded guilty recently to fatally shooting his neighbor. The victim was a father and an amateur boxer who was close to signing professionally.

The state's attorney announced Friday that Nicholas Giroux, 36, pleaded guilty to first-degree murder and felony use of a firearm in a violent crime.

Giroux faces life in prison plus 20 years in last June's killing of Isaiah Oludayo Olugbemi, 27.

Sentencing is scheduled for April 22.

"Mr. Olugbemi was a rising talent in boxing with a bright future ahead. Not only that, but he was the father of a young child," Anne Arundel County State's Attorney Anne Colt Leitess said in a press release. "The Defendant shot Mr. Olugbemi multiple times, at one point, returning to continue gunfire. This plea holds the Defendant accountable for this senseless crime and I hope that it brings some peace and justice to his family and friends."

To learn more about Olugbemi as a father, friend and boxer, read Patch's coverage of his vigil.

A vigil on June 27, 2024, remembered Olugbemi as a loving father and boxer who had just won the nation's most prolific amateur tournament, drawing the interest of professional promoters eager to sign the up-and-comer.

A fundraiser collected over $53,000 to pay for Olugbemi's funeral and to assist his son, who was 2 years old at the time of the shooting.

More than 5,000 people signed a petition demanding justice for Olugbemi and calling for an end to gun violence.

The prosecution said Olugbemi was shot just before 10 p.m. on June 17, 2024, in the 500 block of Meadowmist Way. That's located in the Lions Gate neighborhood.

The state's attorney said medics airlifted Olugbemi to the University of Maryland R Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center in Baltimore, where he died soon after.

The chief medical examiner ruled the death a homicide, Leitess said.

Police confirmed that the suspect lived in the same community as Olugbemi. The two had a conflict dating back to at least June 1, 2024, officers said.

The shooting wasn't the first time the conflict escalated. Police said they had been called before the shooting, but they didn't disclose the specifics.

Security cameras captured video of Giroux approaching Olugbemi outside a townhome and shooting him with a 9mm handgun multiple times, prosecutors said.

The state's attorney said the suspect continued to shoot until the victim fell to the ground.

Leitess said the suspect then returned and fired three more shots before fleeing.

Prosecutors said witness information, video surveillance and police records identified Giroux as the suspect.

The state's attorney said Giroux confessed to the killing when questioned and led police to a bag across the street from the scene that contained the handgun used.

The Anne Arundel County Police Department announced on June 18, 2024, that it arrested Giroux in the case.

Related:

• $50K Raised For Fatally Shot Odenton Boxer, Petition Demands Justice
• Odenton Father, Boxer Remembered At Vigil After Fatal Shooting
• Odenton Fatal Shooting Victim Was Dad, Boxer Hoping To Go Pro: Reports
• Neighbor Charged With Murder In Fatal Odenton Shooting: Reports
• Man Killed In Targeted Odenton Shooting: Police

This map shows the area where authorities said the shooting happened.