A Rochester man was sentenced Thursday to 27 years and two months in prison for the 2019 murder of an acquaintance.
Ayub Abucar Hagi Iman, 25, will receive three years' credit for time served in the shooting death of 28-year-old Garad Hassan Roble.
Roble's body was found in the roadway in the 2300 block of 45th Street SE. near Gamehaven Reservoir shortly before 4 a.m. March 5, 2019. An autopsy determined Roble died of multiple gunshot wounds. He had at least one head wound and another to the torso.
Investigators used cellphone data, video surveillance and witness reports to determine where Roble was the night before he died. Roble and a group of people had gone to a now-closed restaurant in Rochester, the Loop, shortly after 11 p.m. March 4 before traveling to a few locations and ending up at a witness' house.
Authorities say cellphone data show Iman joined the group about 2 a.m., when he picked up Muhidin Abukar and Roble before going to the location near the reservoir. Abukar, 33, pleaded guilty last month to a charge of aiding and abetting second-degree murder, under an agreement that carries a nearly 13-year prison sentence.
An Olmsted County jury convicted Iman of the same charge in April after deliberating for four hours.
A .40-caliber Glock handgun believed to have been used in Roble's death was later found on the frozen Zumbro River, and authorities said Abukar's cellphone data tied him to that location.
Police say cellphone data show Iman and Abukar were with Roble when he died, though it's unclear who killed him.
