MIAMI, FL – A 21-year-old woman, Yasmine Hider, accepted a plea deal on Monday, agreeing to a 30-year prison sentence for the murder of a Florida college student. The victim, Adam Simjee, was shot dead in Alabama after he and his girlfriend, Mikayla Paulus, stopped to assist Hider, who had feigned a car breakdown.
The tragic incident occurred on August 14, 2022, when Simjee and Paulus, both students at the University of Central Florida, were exploring Alabama’s Cheaha State Park. Hider approached the couple, claiming her XB Scion car had broken down nearby and requested their help. Unbeknownst to the couple, this was a fabricated story designed to rob them.
According to the plea agreement, Hider drew a gun on Simjee and Paulus, demanding they empty their pockets and walk deeper into the woods. Simjee, in an attempt to defuse the situation, offered their van and its contents. However, the situation escalated into a shootout, resulting in Simjee and Hider both being shot.
In the aftermath, Paulus made a frantic 911 call and tried to save Simjee, who had been shot in the abdomen. Despite her efforts, Simjee succumbed to his injuries.
Hider’s alleged accomplice, Krystal Pinkins, was later apprehended at a base camp of tents in the nearby Talladega National Forest. The suspects were allegedly living “off the grid” and had connections with cult leader Rashad Jamal White. Pinkins’ case is still pending.