KISSIMMEE, FL – Three men who traveled to Florida for a car show wound up dead on a quiet residential street near Disney World, allegedly gunned down by a neighbor with a violent past who had previously beaten an attempted murder charge by claiming insanity.
Ahmad Jihad Bojeh, 29, faces three counts of first-degree murder and is being held without bond after the Saturday afternoon shooting that left a Michigan man and two Ohio men dead.
The victims were identified as Robert Luis Kraft, 70, of Holland, Michigan, along with Douglas Joseph Kraft, 68, and James John Puchan, 69, both from Columbus, Ohio. They were in town for the Mecum Car Show and had rented a property in the Indian Point subdivision.
According to their families, the three men were standing outside the rental waiting for a replacement vehicle after experiencing car trouble. They had no idea who lived next door.
“There were no known interactions between the men and this individual prior to the event,” the families said in a statement. “They were then approached and senselessly murdered.”
Deputies say Bojeh watched the victims from his home before walking outside and opening fire around 12:14 p.m. He then fled back to his residence, where officers found two firearms.
Here’s what makes this case even more disturbing: Bojeh had been charged with attempted first-degree murder back in 2021 after allegedly shooting at people and vehicles at a Kissimmee gas station. He was found not guilty by reason of insanity.
He also had prior arrests for felony drug possession and various misdemeanor offenses.
Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier blasted the legal system after learning about Bojeh’s history. “Violent criminals getting to walk free, back into society, because of insanity defenses” represents a systemic failure, he said.
The judge who rendered the verdict need to reside with this defendant in the same jail cell and join him in prison his partner.