A Maryland court has sentenced 37-year-old Nicholas Francis Giroux of Odenton to life imprisonment plus 20 years for the 2024 murder of Nigerian boxer, Isaiah Olugbemi, 27.

Giroux, who pleaded guilty to first-degree murder on February 28, 2025, was sentenced on August 26, 2025, in Anne Arundel County.

“Mr. Olugbemi was a father and a rising star in amateur boxing,” Anne Arundel County State’s Attorney, Anne Colt Leitess, said after the sentencing. “This was a cruel and senseless murder that took the life of someone with great promise. The callousness and lack of remorse on the part of this defendant is really disturbing. He deserves this sentence. And to the family and friends of Mr. Olugbemi, I hope that today provides some sense of justice for this terrible ordeal.”

The Incident
On June 17, 2024, police responded to the 500 block of Meadowmist Way in Odenton, where Olugbemi had been shot multiple times. He was rushed to the hospital but pronounced dead shortly after.

According to investigators, surveillance footage showed Giroux repeatedly shooting the boxer until he collapsed, before firing three more shots at him.

Police revealed that just two weeks before the killing, Giroux had confronted Olugbemi and a neighbor during a backyard cookout, brandishing a firearm. However, he was not arrested at the time since he did not point the weapon directly at anyone.

Giroux later confessed to the murder during questioning on June 18, 2024.

Olugbemi’s Legacy
Olugbemi was widely regarded as a promising talent in the boxing community. He had won the National Golden Gloves Championship in Washington, D.C., in May 2024 and secured another amateur victory just a week before his death.

Jim Hook, owner of the Anne Arundel County gym where Olugbemi trained, described him as an athlete on the brink of turning professional.

“The last text I sent to him was right after he won the fight,” Hook recalled. “I told him, ‘I’m so proud of you, you accomplished your dreams, man. Congratulations.’”