Three people, including a 16-year-old West Boca girl, were arrested Friday in connection with the fatal July shooting of a local mixed martial arts fighter.
Aaron Rajman, 25, was shot and killed July 3 in the Sandalfoot Cove neighborhood.
Charged in the case are:
- Roberto Ortiz, 19, of suburban Boynton Beach
- Jace Swinton, 18, of Margate, Fla.
- Summer Church, 16, of suburban Boca Raton
All three suspects face first-degree murder charges.
Church was booked into the Palm Beach County Jail at about 8:16 a.m. Friday. PBSO said Swinton and Ortiz have also been booked at the jail.
Judi Church, Summer’s mother, told WPTV her daughter is innocent. She said on July 3, Summer was forced into a car by four men and forced to call Rajman at gunpoint.
Church said it was so the men would know whether he was home or not. Summer was friends with Rajman, according to her mother.
Church said Summer then got out of the car and the four men proceeded to drive to Rajman’s home in Boca Raton.
When the shooting occurred, the sheriff's office had said men entered the home and an altercation ensued that resulted in the shooting of the MMA fighter.
Church said the police were now trying to make it sound like her daughter was the mastermind behind the killing but she said that couldn’t be further from the truth.
Rajman had recently turned professional as an MMA fighter after a successful amateur career. He was known as the only orthodox Jewish fighter in the MMA community.
“This was no random act of violence,” said State Attorney Dave Aronberg. “Mr. Rajman was targeted by these defendants, and we intend to seek justice for the victim and his family.”
Summer’s sister said the 16-year old had talked to detectives for hours and that they were trying to rope her into confession.
All three could face the death penalty if found guilty of first-degree murder.
