What Happened on October 17, 2015

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‎🕯️ What Happened on October 17, 2015
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‎Sasha Samsudean, a 27-year-old Orlando resident, spent the night of October 16, 2015 out with friends at The Attic bar in downtown Orlando. Around 12:30 a.m., she left to walk home to her apartment at Uptown Place on North Orange Avenue.
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‎Sasha had intended to meet a friend for breakfast the next morning but never showed up and didn’t respond to calls, texts, or social media messages. Concerned, her friends went to her apartment later that afternoon but received no answer — so they called the police.
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‎🧑‍✈️ Discovery of Her Body
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‎When police entered her third-floor apartment, they found Sasha’s body on her bed, partially wrapped in a comforter. Investigators noted:
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‎No forced entry into the apartment.
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‎Strong smell of bleach or cleaning chemicals, suggesting an attempt to destroy evidence.
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‎Sasha’s clothes were torn, her underwear and purse were missing, and her keys and phone were gone.
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‎Injuries to her neck consistent with strangulation, and bruises showing a violent struggle.
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‎Police ruled her death a homicide.
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‎👮‍♂️ Investigators Focus on the Security Guard
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‎Sasha’s apartment building had 24/7 security and surveillance cameras. Police obtained footage showing Sasha entering the building early that morning with security guard Stephen Duxbury, who worked at Uptown Place and had been on the job for about five months.
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‎Surveillance showed them walking down stairwells and talking around 2:25 a.m. Sasha appeared intoxicated and unsteady.
‎Duxbury told police he helped her because she couldn’t remember her door code, and that after trying to assist her he left and didn’t enter her apartment.
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‎But detectives noted suspicious behavior:
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‎ Duxbury was seen leaving the building after his shift carrying two large trash bags — something not part of his duties. Those bags matched ones found in Sasha’s apartment.
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‎Fingerprints belonging to Duxbury were found inside her bathroom, and shoe prints at the scene matched ones linked to him.
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‎Evidence later established that Duxbury’s DNA was found on Sasha’s body.
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‎On his phone, investigators found searches from the early morning hours on how to override a digital lock system similar to Sasha’s door, suggesting he researched how to enter her unit without permission.
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‎⚖️ Arrest and Charges
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‎On October 30, 2015, police arrested Stephen Michael Duxbury, then 33, at his home in Volusia County. He was charged with:
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‎First-degree murder
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‎Attempted sexual battery with physical force
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‎Burglary of a dwelling with assault and battery
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‎A judge ordered him held without bond given the severity of the charges.
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‎ Prosecutors alleged that Duxbury took advantage of Sasha’s intoxicated state and his position as a security guard, entered her apartment, sexually assaulted her, and strangled her to death.
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‎🧪 The Trial
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‎Duxbury’s trial took place in November 2017. Over about a week of testimony:
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‎Prosecutors presented DNA evidence, surveillance footage, fingerprints, and testimony from neighbors and police.
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‎Prosecutors argued that he exploited Sasha when she was vulnerable instead of protecting her.
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‎The defense contested some evidence and suggested police focused too quickly on Duxbury, but the jury rejected that argument.
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‎ After about four hours of deliberation, the jury found Duxbury guilty on all counts: first-degree murder, attempted sexual battery, and burglary.
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‎📍 Sentencing and Aftermath
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‎On November 21, 2017, Duxbury was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole, plus additional years for the burglary charge.
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‎During sentencing, Sasha’s parents delivered emotional statements about their daughter’s life and the pain of her loss.
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‎🕊️ Who Sasha Was
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‎ Friends and family remember Sasha as a vibrant, outgoing woman who was loved by her community. Her death shocked Orlando because it occurred in her own home, at the hands of someone entrusted to protect residents.
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