An Orlando woman turned herself in for conspiring with her ex-boyfriend in the attempted murder of her friend.
Arianna Selina Gajraj, 21, had a warrant issued for her arrest for her involvement in a December shooting wherein her friend was the target. Detectives discovered the planning for this incident after obtaining cell phone records for her and the male gunman.
On the morning of Dec. 1, 2023, deputies with the Lake County Sheriff’s Office responded to a shooting complaint near 14432 Peppermill Trail in Clermont, according to an affidavit of probable cause out of Lake County. The male victim met with officers at the Clermont Police Department.
Once at the scene, deputies found numerous spent cartridge casings on the Peppermill Trail roadway. The victim’s vehicle and a Massey work truck had multiple projectile strikes, the affidavit said.
Lake County Crime Scene Investigators also responded to process the scene with a detective to further the investigation. There were 21 spent 9 mm cartridge casings located across the roadway. The victim’s vehicle had 13 projectile strikes, the Massey truck had three strikes and a nearby mailbox had one strike. Three projectiles were recovered, two from the roadway and one from the mailbox, the affidavit said.
The detective then conducted an interview with the victim. He stated that he picked up his friend Gajraj at her residence around 12:28 a.m. They were going to smoke and talk with each other about issues with her ex-boyfriend, the suspect, the affidavit said.
The pair initially went to the Highland Park subdivision in Clermont and were talking. Throughout the week, the suspect had been sending threatening messages to the victim, accusing him of having a relationship with Gajraj. The victim became nervous and asked Gajraj if the suspect had any way to track her location, which she said he did not, the affidavit said.
The victim next drove into the Greater Hills subdivision so they could continue the conversation. While driving, Gajraj received a call from the suspect where he asked what she was doing. The victim ultimately parked on Peppermill Trail, the affidavit said.
A short time later, a vehicle described as a white 2014 Toyota Camry with dark tint pulled in front of the victim’s vehicle. The driver got out and began firing multiple rounds from a dark semi-automatic handgun with an extended magazine, striking his vehicle. The victim noted that he had previously seen a picture posted by the suspect on Instagram which showed a similar firearm, the affidavit said.
The victim described the driver as of similar height and build to the suspect, whom he had met. He was wearing all dark clothing and a mask. The victim went on to say that he reversed away from the suspect and fled the area, the affidavit said.
The suspect pursued the victim westbound on Old Highway 50, but he eventually eluded him. The victim turned north on Hancock Road and dropped off Gajraj at the front of the Highland Park subdivision. It was his understanding that she would be picked up by a family member while he contacted his family and met with officers at the CPD, the affidavit said.
During the interview, the victim also provided screenshots of conversations over Instagram that he stated were from the suspect, the affidavit said. The account that sent the messages had since be deactivated. The message sent from the account was timestamped “MON 8:10PM,” and it said, “Ari told me sun about you.”
A threatening message was sent, as well, to which the victim replied asking what the suspect meant and to speak with him about the issue. The suspect did not reply. The victim provided additional messages from another Instagram account, the affidavit said.
These messages were sent later in the week and were also threatening, one of which asking the victim if he wanted to be dragged down Colonial on live. Another message stated, “On God, when I see you, it’s on sight.” The victim gave a phone number for the suspect which he had previously communicated with him on, the affidavit said.
Additionally, the victim had a firearm in the glovebox of his vehicle. He consented to a gunshot residue test and voluntarily provided a DNA standard through a buccal swab. The gun was found with the magazine separate and loaded with eight rounds. The victim stated that he did not fire the weapon and has not in about six months, the affidavit said.
Two detectives then met with Gajraj at the Tin and Taco restaurant, located at 40 W. Washington Street in Orlando. She advised that the victim picked her up at her home so they could go smoke marijuana between 12 a.m. and 12:30 a.m. on Dec. 1, 2023, the affidavit said.
The two were driving around, and she got a blocked phone call from the suspect around 12:36 a.m. The suspect asked her where she was, and she said “out” with the victim echoing the same in the background. Ultimately, they parked in the Greater Hills subdivision, the affidavit said.
The victim was nervous and began loading his firearm with Gajraj preparing the marijuana to smoke. A white passenger car pulled in front of them, and the victim immediately began reversing. Multiple rounds were fired, but she did not see the suspect. The victim dropped her off at the front of a neighborhood off Hancock Road, and she walked home, the affidavit said.
Gajraj also provided a phone number for the suspect. She initially stated that she last spoke to him a couple days before the incident. After being told that detectives would be seeking cellular data as part of the investigation, she admitted to calling him after the shooting around 12:54 a.m. She asked him where he was, and he said he was at home. She would not elaborate on why she called him, the affidavit said.
Additionally, Gajraj described that she and the suspect were in an intimate dating relationship for about a year. He lived with her on and off since the beginning of 2023. Their relationship ended about three months prior, the affidavit said.
A review of License Plate Reader data revealed that a white 2013 Toyota Camry was captured entering Lake County at 1:13 a.m. on Dec. 1, 2023, at the intersection of State Road 50 and Magnolia Point Boulevard traveling west. There was no eastbound camera that would show the vehicle exiting Lake County. A check of the tag showed that it was registered to an adult male sharing an address with the suspect at an apartment in Orlando, the affidavit said.
With this information, detectives met with management at the suspect’s apartment complex. They advised that he did live at that apartment but was not a tenant on the lease. He resided there with his family, including his stepfather whom the Camry was registered to, the affidavit said.
Detectives were later given video surveillance of the incident on a hard drive from a known citizen. The footage showed the victim parking his vehicle on the side of the roadway. A short time later, a white four-door passenger car pulled in front of the victim just outside of frame. The victim immediately began reversing, and a man was seen running on Peppermill Trail firing multiple rounds from a semi-automatic handgun. The video showed the shooting happening at about 12:56 a.m., but the time stamp could not be verified die to the citizen not allowing detectives inside, the affidavit said.
Additional video was located which contained audio of the shooting. It indicated that the shooting occurred at about 12:51 a.m., which was consistent with Gajraj stating she called the suspect after the shooting at 12:56 a.m., the affidavit said.
Video surveillance was also found that showed Gajraj’s residence. The video included the victim leaving the residence, presumably with Gajraj per the testimony provided, at 12:31 a.m. At 1:26 a.m., a vehicle matching the description of the suspect’s vehicle turns around and leaves Gajraj’s residence. At the time of the affidavit, it was unknown if Gajraj was picked up by the suspect, which would be consistent with the LPR data and Gajraj calling him after the shooting.
In the days following the initial investigation, the detective secured several warrants for Gajraj and the suspect’s cellular records and for the suspect’s Instagram accounts, the affidavit said. The Instagram accounts were registered to the suspect’s email and phone number. In one of the messages, the suspect states that he purchased a “32 extendo for the glock at the gun show,” which references an extended magazine. He sent an additional message stating that he had “32 in the mag and 1 in the chamber.”
Messages from the suspect’s second account included a screenshot of the messages sent to the victim, the affidavit said. In addition, the suspect responded to the screenshot by saying he would “spank” him on live, and that went for anyone who got in his way. The suspect stated, “Taking anyone out bullets or licks don’t matter.”
On Jan. 18, the detective reviewed the suspect’s cellular data. The call detail records show he was having a text conversation a separate number, resulting in about 129 SMS from Nov. 30, 2023, and Dec. 1, 2023. It also showed that he called Gajraj three times while she called him once, the affidavit said.
The suspect called Gajraj using “*67,” which would mask his number on her caller ID. Two calls were made at 12:24 a.m. on Dec. 1, 2023, and the last call was made at 12:36 a.m. Gajraj called at 12:54 a.m., which based on the evidence collected would be about three minutes after the incident, the affidavit said.
The detective reviewed location information available through timing advance and call detail records. It showed that the suspect was in the area of Wellesley Lake Drive from Nov. 30, 2023, at 11 p.m. until about 12:22 p.m. on Dec. 1, 2023, when the device showed to the west of the aforementioned location. At 12:30 a.m., the device shows in the area between Hancock Road and County Road 455, which includes the location of the shooting. Between 12:49 a.m. and 12:57 a.m., the device communicated with multiple towers which showed the device around the shooting at the time of the incident, the affidavit said.
The detective next worked toward getting Gajraj’s information subpoenaed from Google and Pinger Inc., including subscriber information, message logs, SMS content and MMS content. Using this, the detective found the Pinger account was being used to communicate with the number belonging to the suspect from Nov. 30, 2023, to Dec. 1, 2023, the affidavit said.
The communications include Gajraj using the suspect’s name. They begin with her confronting the suspect about issues in their previous relationship, them reconciling and discussing a plan for him to kill the victim. The initial plan describes that the suspect will get the victim as he gets into a car, the affidavit said.
It was then changed to the suspect blocking the victim in, using Gajraj and their relationship issues as an excuse. Gajraj states that she does not want to be up too late, and the suspect replied, “no hes dying.” She does state that she does not want them being dumb with guns, but the suspect reiterates multiple times that his plan was to get the victim, the affidavit said.
Gajraj ultimately comes up with her own plan for the ambush, telling the suspect to call her from a blocked number so she can show the victim to earn her trust. She then begins updating the suspect on where she and the victim were. The suspect asked her to send him a pin with her location so she could locate the victim, who was with her, the affidavit said.
Gajraj replied that she sent it on iMessage. She then tells him that the victim is in “the Camry.” The final message, which was about her sharing her location, was sent at 12:39 a.m., about 12 minutes before the shooting occurred, the affidavit said.
Based on the messages between Gajraj and the suspect, they cooperated to conspire, plan and execute a plan to kill the victim. Gajraj aided, abetted, and counseled the victim in the hours leading up to the attempted murder of the victim. The plan was discussed with the suspect making his intent clear, and the messages show that the shooting was premeditated in nature, the affidavit said.
Gajraj ultimately turned herself in early Wednesday morning on charge of attempted first degree murder (principal). The New York native was transported to Lake County Jail to be held without bond.