DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — One of five men arrested for a 2019 kidnapping and murder in Daytona Beach was found guilty by a jury Thursday.
▶ WATCH CHANNEL 9 EYEWITNESS NEWS
Aziz Felder, now 21, was just 19 years old in July of 2019 when investigators say he and four other men tortured Randy Mueller for several hours at his Daytona Beach apartment over missing marijuana.
READ: How do you stop teen gun violence? We asked Orange County’s top Law Enforcement Leaders
When Daytona Beach police went to Mueller’s apartment a few days later in response to a request for a wellbeing check, they found him face down on his bathroom floor, dead.
Investigators say Mueller’s hands were tied behind his back, there was a plastic bag over his head, and he had been shot in the head.
READ: Survey shows support for political violence jumps ahead of next year’s election
“Felder kidnapped, tied up, beat, burned and shot our victim,” State Attorney R.J. Lariza said in a statement announcing the verdict. “There is no adequate punishment for such stark and merciless brutality.”
After a three-day trial, Felder was found guilty by a Volusia County jury of first-degree murder and kidnapping. He was immediately sentenced to serve life in prison without the possibility of parole.
READ: A cycle of competency keeps defendants in a revolving-door system
One of Felder’s four co-defendants, Dionysius Nicols, was convicted by a jury of the same charges back in November of 2022 and sentenced to 35 years in prison.
Another defendant, Julian Fadley, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder with a firearm and kidnapping in March of this year and was sentenced to 40 years in prison.
Click here to download our free news, weather and smart TV apps. And click here to stream Channel 9 Eyewitness News live.