A 25-year-old man has been found guilty in the 2022 killing of Jashira Pagan in Norwich, officials said.
Atlantik Balidemaj, 25, of Norwich, has been found guilty of murder and unlawful discharge of a firearm in the death of Jashira Pagan in Norwich. Balidemaj now faces a maximum sentence of 60 years behind bars for the killing, according to the Connecticut Division of Criminal Justice.
Evidence in the four-week trial found that on the morning of Nov. 5, 2022, Balidemaj shot Pagan in a cul-de-sac outside her residence in Norwich after a heated argument. Balidemaj was caught on a surveillance camera fleeing the scene. When interviewed by the police, he gave numerous contradictory statements and lied.
He is scheduled to be sentenced in New London Superior Court on May 20, 2026, according to officials.
“First and foremost, our thoughts are with Jashira’s family,” said state’s attorney Paul Narducci said in a press release on Friday. “We hope that this verdict brings them some peace after the suffering they have endured. We want to thank the Norwich Police Department, the Town of Groton Police Department, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the State Division of Scientific Services, and the Connecticut Office of the Chief Medical Examiner. Their assistance was invaluable.”
Stephen Underwood can be reached at [email protected]