Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier reiterated his plea to narrow the state's insanity defense statute after Ahmad 'Jihad' Bojeh, previously acquitted of several violent crimes on grounds of insanity, was charged with killing three U.S. tourists in Osceola County near Kissimmee last weekend.
"This guy, literally named Ahmad 'Jihad' Bojeh, shoots three tourists after being acquitted of multiple violent crimes on grounds of insanity. This is why I’ve proposed Florida’s legislature narrow the insanity defense. Violent criminals should not be set free to hurt others!," Uthmeier wrote on social media.
The call comes after Uthmeier pledged in October to reform the state's insanity defense after a man who stabbed a six-year-old child more than 20 times to death was acquitted of capital murder by reason of insanity by a Kentucky jury in 2018.
Uthmeier made a similar plea in December after a 40-year-old man allegedly stabbed a woman in the back at a Barnes & Noble bookstore in Palm Beach Gardens.
According to a report, Bojeh, 29, allegedly killed James John Puchan, 68, of Ohio; Douglas Joespeh Krafy, 68, of Ohio; and Robert Luis Kraft, 70, of Michigan in the Indian Hill subdivision, a vacation rental area, near Kissimmee on Saturday. Authorities indicated the three victims suffered gunshot wounds in the attack.
Deputies quickly captured Bojeh after he attempted to leave the scene, which was later confirmed to be his residence by investigators. Two firearms were later uncovered at the location, and officials are waiting to confirm if they were used in the killings.
Osceola County Sheriff Christopher Blackmon called the murders "horrific" and "senseless" following the incident. He also noted there was no prior connection between Bojeh and the victims.
Bojeh is charged with three counts of premeditated murder and resisting arrest.
He had previously been acquitted of attempted murder by reason of insanity following a shooting outside a Wawa gas station in 2021 and subsequently released from custody. Bojeh had previous run-ins with the law, including a charge for felony drug possession and an arrest for alleged retail theft.
