# Ahmad Jihad Bojeh

> Indicted on three counts of first-degree murder in the Jan. 17, 2026 shooting deaths of three men visiting Kissimmee for a car auction, Bojeh was found competent to stand trial in September 2026. In 2022 a judge found him not guilty by reason of insanity in an earlier shooting.

- Case: State of Florida v. Bojeh · Kissimmee, Florida · 2026
- Case status: Charged, awaiting trial. Charged, not tried. Bojeh is presumed innocent of all three murder counts. A judge found him competent to stand trial on Sept. 10, 2026; as of Oct. 29, 2026, no trial date had been reported, and no decision on whether prosecutors will seek the death penalty had been reported in the sources reviewed. He is held without bond in the Osceola County Jail.
- Last updated: 2026-10-29
- Editorial review: approved 2026-10-29
- Web page: https://criminalbackstories.com/cases/ahmad-bojeh/
- All defendants are presumed innocent until found guilty by a court of law. Charges and allegations described on this site are not proof of guilt.

## Why he's in the news

On Sept. 10, 2026, Circuit Judge Wayne Wooten ruled that Bojeh is competent to stand trial, after court-appointed evaluators testified that he had deliberately performed poorly on testing and was exaggerating or fabricating symptoms.[2][3] A day earlier, Wooten had denied a defense request to keep the psychiatric evaluations sealed, saying, "I think there's a great public interest in understanding how the competency process works."[6] The victims' families called the ruling "a just result."[4] No later court development was found in the sources reviewed through Oct. 29, 2026.[4][3]

## Case at a glance

- Charges: Three counts of first-degree murder, by grand jury indictment, Feb. 26, 2026[15][16]
- Victims: Robert Luis Kraft of Holland, Michigan; his brother Douglas Joseph Kraft, 68, of Columbus, Ohio; and their friend James Puchan, 68, of Ohio[15][27]
- Date and place: Jan. 17, 2026, outside a rental home in Kissimmee, Osceola County, Florida[29][15]
- Arrested: Jan. 17, 2026, by the Osceola County Sheriff's Office[30][29]
- Plea: No plea was entered at the Feb. 18, 2026 hearing, which ended with a competency evaluation; no later plea was reported in the sources reviewed[17]
- Competency: Found competent to stand trial, Sept. 10, 2026[2][3]
- Death penalty: Undecided as of the latest reports reviewed; in April 2026 prosecutors asked for more time to decide, and the court extended the deadline[13][12]
- Court: Ninth Judicial Circuit, Osceola County; Circuit Judge Wayne Wooten[17][2]
- Custody: Held without bond in the Osceola County Jail[7][15]

## The backstory

Bojeh has not been tried. Everything in this section about the January 2026 shooting is an allegation by the sheriff's office or prosecutors, or a statement from court filings as reported; none of it has been tested before a jury.[29][15]

### The shooting

Robert Luis Kraft and his brother Douglas Joseph Kraft, with their friend James Puchan, were in Kissimmee for the Mecum car auction in January 2026 and were staying at a rental home.[15][27] According to a joint statement from their families, the men were getting ready to travel home and were waiting for help with their rental car when they were killed just after noon on Saturday, Jan. 17.[27] The families said there were "no known interactions between the men and this individual" before the shooting.[27]

According to the sheriff's office, deputies were notified of the shooting at 12:14 p.m. and found three men dead of gunshot wounds in front of the home.[29] Deputies said that when they arrived at 12:19 p.m. they saw the suspect fleeing toward his residence next door.[29] According to a case packet obtained by WFTV, surveillance cameras recorded the shooting; investigators allege the gunman fired, returned a few minutes later to fire two more rounds, picked up a magazine from the grass and ran home.[8] The video has not been released.[8]

### The arrest

Deputies "quickly located and detained" Bojeh, according to the sheriff's office, and he was booked into the Osceola County Jail on three counts of murder.[30] According to the arrest affidavit as reported, deputies found two pistols under his bed that matched the .45- and .38-caliber rounds found at the scene, and he "loudly refused compliance" with a search warrant for blood, demanded an attorney and resisted.[18] Investigators say he changed clothes after the shooting, and deputies reported finding a black hoodie "consistent with the attire depicted in the surveillance footage."[8]

Sheriff Christopher Blackmon called the shooting random and premeditated, said there was no known conflict between Bojeh and the men, and described it as "cold-blooded."[29][19] At his first appearance he did not speak, refused to state his name and was denied bond.[29]

### The charges

The State Attorney's Office first filed three counts of second-degree murder.[19] On Feb. 12, Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier said those charges were not enough: "We would like to see the death penalty pursued, which will take a grand jury finding."[15] Worrell's office said a first-degree murder charge requires a grand jury indictment, and on Feb. 26, 2026, a grand jury indicted Bojeh on three counts of first-degree murder.[15]

### Competency

After he did not appear at an early February hearing, a judge ordered him to appear in person for his arraignment.[19][18] At the Feb. 18 hearing, which had been set for his plea, his public defender, Alesha Smith, said there were reasons to believe he was "unable to proceed," and a doctor was appointed to evaluate him.[17] FOX 35 reported that prosecutors asked in February for two doctors to evaluate him.[11]

A June 18 competency hearing was postponed because a substitute judge was presiding and the two sides did not agree on the findings of the two completed evaluations.[11] At a hearing the next day, prosecutors argued that he was "malingering"; Wooten appointed a third evaluator, psychiatrist Jeffrey Danziger.[10]

The evaluations were unsealed on Sept. 9 over a defense request to keep them sealed.[6] According to the reports, two court-appointed evaluators concluded he was exaggerating or fabricating symptoms, and one wrote that he appeared to be "attempting to present himself as incompetent to avoid prosecution."[6][4] At the Sept. 10 hearing, Danziger testified that Bojeh "demonstrated almost complete ignorance of even the most basic aspects of the legal system," and Danziger and a psychologist testified that he scored in the single digits on a 61-question true-false test about the legal system.[3] Danziger testified that the only explanation for so low a score was that Bojeh knew "many of the right answers" and gave wrong ones deliberately.[2][3] The psychologist suggested the motive was to delay the trial.[3] Wooten found him competent to stand trial.[2]

### The death-penalty decision

Worrell said in February that the prosecutor on the case would decide whether to send it to her office's capital case review panel, which would recommend whether death is appropriate.[15] In April, prosecutors asked for 120 days instead of the usual 45 after arraignment to give notice, citing defense witnesses in the Middle East who had been hard to reach; a filing said the war with Iran was preventing them from traveling to the United States.[13][14] The Osceola News Gazette reported that the court extended the deadline.[12] *No decision on the death penalty had been reported in the sources reviewed as of Oct. 29, 2026.*

### The 2021 case

In May 2021, the Osceola County Sheriff's Office arrested Bojeh, then 24, on an attempted first-degree murder charge after a shooting at a Wawa in Kissimmee; deputies said surveillance video showed a man firing toward the gas pumps and then at parked vehicles.[31] He was charged with attempted first-degree murder with a firearm, aggravated battery and two counts of criminal mischief.[23] Investigators said a person was shot, WFTV reported, and the owner of one car said, "He shot nine times into my car."[26][28]

Prosecutors and the defense agreed to a bench trial rather than a jury trial, and to outpatient treatment rather than commitment to a state hospital.[25] On Dec. 20, 2022, Circuit Judge Keith Carsten found him not guilty by reason of insanity.[20][24] Florida law allows such a defendant to be committed only if he has a mental illness and, because of it, is "manifestly dangerous to himself or herself or others."[1] A doctor's evaluation found he "does not meet the criteria for involuntary hospitalization," according to the court's order.[21] The conditional release order required him to obtain mental health treatment and take prescribed medication, not to have access to firearms, and to have no contact with the victims or witnesses.[24]

### The release dispute

At a Jan. 22, 2026 news conference, Worrell said Bojeh stopped complying with his treatment because he could not pay for it after its cost rose from $7 a month to more than $150.[21][22] She said "there should have been a violation of conditional release that was filed by the supervising agency"; WKMG found no such filing on the 2022 docket.[21] She said questions about why that did not happen "would have to be directed towards the case manager."[22] Park Place Behavioral Health Care, which managed his outpatient treatment, said confidentiality prevented it from discussing specific cases.[21]

Uthmeier wrote that Worrell "knowingly stipulated to an agreement" that avoided a jury trial.[21] Worrell said the court, not her office, decided the outcome, and that the 2022 agreement was guided by statute and doctors' recommendations.[27][22] Bojeh's former defense attorney, Migdalia Perez, said the treatment provider "dropped the ball."[21]

### The civil suit

In June 2026, the widow of Douglas Kraft sued the neighborhood homeowners association and the owner of the rental property for negligence, alleging they knew Bojeh was "a violent, dangerous person with prior access to firearms."[9][7] *No response from the defendants in that suit was reported in the sources reviewed.*

## Personal backstory

### Early life and family

Bojeh was born Nov. 13, 1996, according to the sheriff's office.[30] Court records placed him living with his parents in the neighborhood where the shooting happened as early as 2004, FOX 35 reported.[23] The sheriff's office said that of 41 calls for service to the family's address from 2006 to 2022, 16 involved Bojeh, "the majority of when he was a minor"; most came from his father, who reported that his son would not go to school or was being aggressive toward the family.[23][16] Sheriff Blackmon described the calls as "disturbing the peace kind of stuff."[16]

### Work and earlier record

In a letter to a judge, his father wrote that Bojeh "has been sitting home since 2014" and had no income.[23] A 2023 filing by a mental health specialist reported that he had a job at McDonald's.[24] In 2015, at 18, he was charged with drug possession and placed on probation, FOX 35 reported; he was charged with retail theft in 2019 and with resisting an officer without violence in 2020.[28][20]

### Mental health

In 2022 the court found that he was "legally insane at the time of the offense," Worrell said.[21] A 2023 filing said he had attended his psychiatric appointments and was taking his medication as prescribed, and filings in 2023 and 2024 indicated he was complying with court requirements.[24] Perez, his former lawyer, said in January 2026 that he is "very mentally ill" and had stopped taking his medication.[21]

At the September 2026 competency hearing, one psychiatrist acknowledged that Bojeh has psychosis but said it is treatable with medication and does not make him incompetent.[2] One evaluator noted that he reports hearing voices.[6] In ruling, Wooten said that Bojeh was compliant with his medication and that his diagnosed schizophrenia was in partial remission, WFTV reported.[3]

### In custody

He has been held without bond in the Osceola County Jail since his arrest.[7][8] *Bojeh has made no public statement about the case in the sources reviewed.*

## Where the parties stand

- Prosecution: Prosecutors argued at a June 2026 hearing that Bojeh was "malingering," meaning, as WFTV explained, exaggerating or faking mental health problems to avoid standing trial.[10] At the September competency hearing they argued that his 2022 insanity acquittal showed he understands the justice system.[3] The Osceola County sheriff has called the shooting random and premeditated.[29][19] State Attorney Monique Worrell has said the decision whether to seek death will go through her office's capital case review panel.[15]
- Defense: His public defender, Alesha Smith, told the court in February 2026 there were reasons to believe he was "unable to proceed."[17] In June the defense argued that his 2021 case should be excluded and has "absolutely no bearing on this 2026 murder trial."[10] In April the defense sought more time to prepare, citing the competency evaluation and witnesses in the Middle East who were difficult to reach.[13][14] No defense response to the Sept. 10 ruling was reported in the sources reviewed.[4]
- Victims' families: In a joint statement, the families said the men were killed in "a random, tragic act" and that "these three wonderful men did not deserve this."[27] After the competency ruling they thanked prosecutor Peter Donnelly and said the case "was entirely preventable" and that "Justice extends to Tallahassee and the civil courtroom."[3][4]

## Timeline

- May 2021: Bojeh is arrested on an attempted first-degree murder charge after a shooting at a Kissimmee Wawa.[31][20]
- Dec. 20, 2022: After a bench trial, he is found not guilty by reason of insanity and later conditionally released for outpatient treatment.[20][24]
- Jan. 17, 2026: Three men are shot and killed outside a Kissimmee rental home; Bojeh, who lived next door, is arrested.[29][30]
- Feb. 4, 2026: Prosecutors formally charge him with three counts of second-degree murder.[19]
- Feb. 18, 2026: At a hearing set for his plea, a doctor is appointed to evaluate his competency.[17]
- Feb. 26, 2026: A grand jury indicts him on three counts of first-degree murder.[15][16]
- Apr. 3, 2026: Prosecutors ask for more time to decide whether to seek the death penalty; the defense also seeks more time.[13][14]
- June 19, 2026: With the two sides disagreeing about the evaluations, the judge appoints a third evaluator, psychiatrist Jeffrey Danziger.[10][7]
- Sept. 10, 2026: Judge Wooten finds Bojeh competent to stand trial.[2][3]
- Nov. 17, 2026: Next scheduled court date, a status hearing.[3][4]

## What happens next

A status hearing is set for Nov. 17, 2026, at 1:30 p.m.[3][4] The Osceola News Gazette reported that status and pretrial hearings are scheduled for Nov. 17 and 18 and that no trial date has been set.[5] Prosecutors have not announced, in the sources reviewed, whether they will seek the death penalty, which under Florida's rules requires written notice within 45 days of arraignment unless the court extends the deadline.[12][13]

## Sources

1. [Florida Statutes § 916.15: Involuntary commitment of defendant adjudicated not guilty by reason of insanity](https://www.flsenate.gov/Laws/Statutes/2025/916.15). The Florida Senate (2025 Florida Statutes). (court or official record)
2. [Judge rules Kissimmee triple-murder suspect competent to stand trial](https://www.fox35orlando.com/news/judge-rules-kissimmee-triple-murder-suspect-competent-stand-trial). FOX 35 Orlando, Sept. 10, 2026. (news report)
3. [Judge finds Osceola County triple murder suspect competent to stand trial](https://www.wftv.com/news/local/judge-finds-osceola-county-triple-murder-suspect-competent-stand-trial/V3ICXBQSHFBEDIFCL66XJ5IJJI/). WFTV, Sept. 10, 2026. (news report)
4. [Judge finds Osceola County triple murder suspect is competent to stand trial](https://www.clickorlando.com/news/local/2026/09/10/judge-to-rule-on-competency-of-osceola-county-triple-murder-suspect/). WKMG News 6 ClickOrlando, Sept. 10, 2026. (news report)
5. [Judge rules triple murder suspect Bojeh competent to stand trial](https://www.newsbreak.com/news/4891446553308-judge-rules-triple-murder-suspect-bojeh-competent-to-stand-trial). Osceola News Gazette via NewsBreak, Sept. 17, 2026. (news report)
6. [Kissimmee triple-murder suspect accused of faking psychiatric symptoms](https://www.fox35orlando.com/news/kissimmee-triple-murder-suspect-accused-faking-psychiatric-symptoms). FOX 35 Orlando, Sept. 9, 2026. (news report)
7. [Triple murder suspect Bojeh back in court; victim's family sues HOA](https://www.aroundosceola.com/node/21973). Osceola News Gazette, June 25, 2026. (news report)
8. [Triple homicide suspect's online searches led investigators to consider terrorism charge](https://www.wftv.com/news/local/triple-homicide-suspects-online-searches-led-investigators-consider-terrorism-charge/ABBWMFFL3JARRPZUYW2RV4RE64/). WFTV, June 23, 2026. (news report)
9. [Widow sues Kissimmee homeowner's association over killing of 3 men in vacation home](https://www.clickorlando.com/news/local/2026/06/22/widow-sues-kissimmee-homeowners-association-over-killing-of-3-men-in-vacation-home/). WKMG News 6 ClickOrlando, June 22, 2026. (news report)
10. [State claims suspect in Osceola County tourist murders is faking mental illness](https://www.wftv.com/news/local/state-claims-suspect-osceola-county-tourist-murders-is-faking-mental-illness/S2C5R7LJIRFLNKWGJUJIOJIUM4/). WFTV, June 19, 2026. (news report)
11. [Ahmad Bojeh: Competency hearing pushed for man accused of killing 3 Kissimmee tourists](https://www.fox35orlando.com/news/ahmad-bojeh-competency-hearing-pushed-man-accused-killing-3-kissimmee-tourists). FOX 35 Orlando, June 18, 2026. (news report)
12. [Are signs pointing to death penalty sought in January triple homicide?](https://www.aroundosceola.com/news/are-signs-pointing-death-penalty-sought-january-triple-homicide). Osceola News Gazette, Apr. 23, 2026. (news report)
13. [Attorneys seek delays in Kissimmee triple-murder case amid issues over witnesses](https://www.fox35orlando.com/news/attorneys-seek-delays-kissimmee-triple-murder-case-amid-issues-over-witnesses). FOX 35 Orlando, Apr. 3, 2026. (news report)
14. [Iran war could push back Osceola death penalty decision](https://www.wftv.com/news/local/iran-war-could-push-back-osceola-death-penalty-decision/U35EAH73NZCX7HPIYLPVRP32GM/). WFTV, Apr. 3, 2026. (news report)
15. [First-degree murder charges for man accused of killing 3 Kissimmee tourists](https://www.fox35orlando.com/news/ahmad-bojeh-indicted-first-degree-murder-kissimmee-tourist-deaths-monique-worrell). FOX 35 Orlando, Feb. 26, 2026. (news report)
16. [Man with past formally charged with murder January shooting](https://www.aroundosceola.com/node/21340). Osceola News Gazette, Feb. 26, 2026. (news report)
17. [Competency evaluation ordered for man charged with killing 3 tourists in Osceola County](https://www.clickorlando.com/news/local/2026/02/18/competency-evaluation-ordered-for-man-charged-with-killing-3-tourists-in-osceola-county/). WKMG News 6 ClickOrlando, Feb. 18, 2026. (news report)
18. [Court orders in-person appearance for suspect in Kissimmee triple homicide](https://www.fox35orlando.com/news/court-orders-in-person-appearance-suspect-kissimmee-triple-homicide). FOX 35 Orlando, Feb. 6, 2026. (news report)
19. [Prosecutors charge Kissimmee triple homicide suspect with second-degree murder](https://www.fox35orlando.com/news/ahmad-bojeh-prosecutors-second-degree-murder-charges-against-kissimmee-triple-homicide-suspect). FOX 35 Orlando, Feb. 4, 2026. (news report)
20. [Why was triple-murder suspect released from 2021 shooting charge?](https://www.aroundosceola.com/news/why-was-triple-murder-suspect-released-2021-shooting-charge). Osceola News Gazette, Jan. 29, 2026. (news report)
21. [Triple shooting suspect stopped mandatory treatment despite 2022 acquittal order, Worrell says](https://www.clickorlando.com/news/local/2026/01/23/triple-shooting-suspect-stopped-mandatory-treatment-despite-2022-acquittal-order-worrell-says). WKMG News 6 ClickOrlando, Jan. 22, 2026. (news report)
22. [State Attorney Worrell says triple-murder suspect violated release, should have been confined](https://www.fox35orlando.com/news/state-attorney-worrell-says-triple-murder-suspect-violated-release-should-have-been-confined). FOX 35 Orlando, Jan. 22, 2026. (news report)
23. [Who is Ahmad Bojeh? Man accused of killing 3 tourists in Kissimmee fuels insanity defense controversy](https://www.fox35orlando.com/news/who-is-ahmad-bojeh-man-murder-suspect-accused-killing-three-tourists-kissimmee). FOX 35 Orlando, Jan. 21, 2026. (news report)
24. [Insanity defense set Osceola County triple homicide suspect free in 2021 attempted murder case, court filings show](https://mynews13.com/fl/orlando/news/2026/01/21/insanity-defense-set-osceola-county-triple-homicide-suspect-free-in-2021-attempted-murder-case--court-filings-show). Spectrum News 13, Jan. 21, 2026. (news report)
25. [Florida triple-murder suspect avoided trial in prior case, received outpatient mental health treatment instead](https://www.fox35orlando.com/news/florida-triple-murder-suspect-avoided-trial-prior-case-received-outpatient-mental-health-treatment-instead). FOX 35 Orlando, Jan. 20, 2026. (news report)
26. [Kissimmee triple homicide: What court records reveal about suspect's mental health](https://www.wftv.com/news/local/kissimmee-triple-homicide-what-court-records-reveal-about-suspects-mental-health/BDVKBGZS45F5JAF3ZZ7DHRLXXU). WFTV, Jan. 20, 2026. (news report)
27. [Family of 3 men shot to death in Osceola County say their loss is 'unimaginable'](https://mynews13.com/fl/orlando/news/2026/01/20/family-of-men-shot-to-death-in-osceola-county-say-their-loss-is--unimaginable-). Spectrum News 13, Jan. 20, 2026. (news report)
28. [Kissimmee triple murder suspect had previous run in with law enforcement, documents show](https://www.fox35orlando.com/news/kissimmee-triple-murder-suspect-had-previous-run-law-enforcement). FOX 35 Orlando, Jan. 19, 2026. (news report)
29. [Osceola Sheriff: Kissimmee triple shooting was random, 'cold-blooded,' premeditated](https://www.fox35orlando.com/news/osceola-sheriff-kissimmee-triple-shooting-was-random-cold-blooded-premeditated). FOX 35 Orlando, Jan. 18, 2026. (news report)
30. [Arrest made in Saturday Kissimmee triple murder](https://www.aroundosceola.com/news/arrest-made-saturday-kissimmee-triple-murder). Osceola News Gazette, Jan. 17, 2026. (news report)
31. [Deputies arrest man accused of shooting at person, cars at Kissimmee gas station](https://www.clickorlando.com/news/local/2021/05/15/deputies-arrest-man-accused-of-shooting-at-person-cars-at-kissimmee-gas-station). WKMG News 6 ClickOrlando, May 15, 2021. (news report)