Conviction and Sentence Upheld in 2019 Rochester Murder Case

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St. Paul, MN (KROC-AM News) - The Minnesota Court of Appeals has upheld the conviction of one of the two men sent to prison for the murder of a Rochester man four years ago.

26-year-old Ayub Iman was found guilty of aiding and abetting second-degree murder at the end of a trial last April. The conviction stems from his participation in the "execution style" shooting death of 28-year-old Garad Roble. In his appeal, Iman argued there was insufficient evidence to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that he was a knowing participant when the Rochester man was shot nearly a dozen times on 45th Street Southeast just west of the intersection with Olmsted County Road 1 in the early morning hours of March 5, 2019.

The case was largely circumstantial and based on cell phone tracking data that put him at the crime scene around the time Roble was murdered. In its ruling, the Court of Appeals found, based on Iman's actions leading up to and following the murder, "the circumstances proved are inconsistent with the rational hypothesis that he was merely present at the scene of Roble's murder."

Iman is now serving a 27-year prison sentence. The other man convicted in the case, Muhidin Akubar, later entered into a plea agreement and was sentenced to just under 14 years in prison. His first trial ended in a mistrial due to a hung jury. Abukar testified that Iman was the actual shooter.