Girlfriend pays tribute to ‘hero’ student allegedly shot dead by ‘off the grid’ female robbers in Alabama forest
On Wednesday, a judge issued a gag order on the case banning any witnesses, law enforcement officers or anyone else connected to the case from commenting on or releasing information to the media
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The grieving girlfriend of the Florida student allegedly shot dead by female robbers living “off the grid” in an Alabama forest has called him a “hero” for dying trying to protect her.
In a heart-wrenching Facebook post, Mikayla Paulus paid tribute to her “soulmate” Adam Simjee, 22, who was shot dead in the Talladega National Forest close to Cheaha State Park in east Alabama on Sunday morning.
“I’m so happy Adam is getting recognized as the hero he was,” the 20-year-old wrote.
“He was so selfless & would do anything for someone he loved. He always made sure I knew that I was safe with him and that he would protect me if anything ever happened.
“If it wasn’t for him, I don’t know if I’d be here right now.”
Ms Paulus, who survived the alleged robbery gone wrong, spoke about her longing to marry her boyfriend as she said “the love we had for each other seems like a fairytale”.
“I couldn’t wait to be married to him. I felt lucky to have met my soulmate so young. Now I’m even more glad I did, because I got to spend almost a quarter of my life with him,” she wrote.
“Adam was such a positive and happy person. He was always joking around and making people laugh.
“I’ve never met a person who didn’t like him, he really was too good for this earth.”
Ms Paulus told ABC3340 that her boyfriend died trying to protect her.
“He literally was like an angel on earth already. Everyone who met him loved him. He was always making jokes and being goofy," she said.
“Him dying a hero to protect me, like that is just so him.”
The young couple from Florida had been enjoying a vacation before they would go off to study at the University of Central Florida together next week.
But, during what was supposed to be a fun summer road trip, tragedy struck and Ms Paulus’ boyfriend of four years was killed.
On Wednesday, an Alabama judge issued a gag order on the case banning any witnesses, law enforcement officers or anyone else connected to the case from commenting on or releasing information about the case to the media.
Judge David Law granted the motion from the prosecution saying that “there is a substantial probability of material prejudice to the Defendant’s ability to receive a fair trial, should the parties be free to discuss without limits the case in a setting where media coverage is likely and there are not any reasonable alternatives”.
In a press release earlier this week, Clay County Sheriff’s Office said that the Ms Paulus and Mr Simjee were driving along National Forestry Road 600-3 on Sunday morning when Yasmine Hider flagged down their vehicle.
Ms Hider allegedly claimed that her car had broken down and asked them to help her.
But when the unsuspecting couple went to help, Ms Hider pulled out a gun and ordered them to walk into the woods, authorities said.
Ms Paulus recounted in terrifying detail to ABC3340 how the attacker then ordered her and her boyfriend to drop their cellphones into the woods and hand over their banking passwords.
As they were being held at gunpoint, authorities said that Mr Simjee pulled out his own concealed handgun and a shootout erupted between him and the alleged robber.
The 22-year-old student suffered a single fatal gunshot wound, while Ms Hider was also shot multiple times including in the torso.
While Ms Paulus desperately tried to save her longtime boyfriend by tying a tourniquet around his gunshot wound, she told police that she spotted another woman – Krystal Pinkins – lurking in the woods watching the chaos unfold.
Ms Hider and Ms Pinkins – who investigators said may have been part of a violent, armed gang living in the forest – briefly spoke to each other, police said.
Then, instead of helping her apparent accomplice or a dying Mr Simjee, Ms Pinkins allegedly fled from the scene.
Ms Paulus managed to find her cellphone in the woods and called 911 for help.
For the next 30 minutes, she was left alone in the woods with Mr Simjee’s alleged killer while she waited for emergency services to arrive.
“The girl was asking if she could get away because she had a child and she needed food and it wasn’t supposed to be like this and she can’t go to jail but her femur was shattered and she couldn’t get away,” Ms Paulus said.
“We would have given you food and money, I already told her like she didn’t have to shoot. I think I said everything I needed to say to her until we go to court.”
Officers arrived on the scene to find Ms Paulus attempting CPR on her unresponsive boyfriend. He was pronounced dead on the scene.
Ms Hider was found lying on the ground nearby and was airlifted to a Birmingham hospital where she underwent surgery for her injuries.
In a bizarre twist to the tragedy, investigators were soon tipped off that there “may be” a group of “armed and potentially violent” people “living off the grid” somewhere in the National Forest close to where the attack took place.
Multiple law enforcement agencies combed the area for the gang and – after several hours – they closed in on an encampment just half a mile from the deadly shooting where the two alleged suspects are believed to have been living.
When officers approached the tents, they spotted a woman – later identified as Ms Pinkins – standing close by.
As they were ordering the suspect to the ground, authorities said that her five-year-old son ran out of the woods holding a loaded shotgun.
Officers told the child to put the shotgun down but the little boy continued to run to his mother before complying and laying the gun on the ground.
Ms Pinkins was arrested and charged with murder, kidnapping, robbery and child endangerment. She is being held in the Clay County Detention Center.
Her young son has been taken into custody by the Department of Human Resources.
Ms Hider is also facing charges of murder, kidnapping and robbery on her release from hospital.
No one else appeared to be living at the camp at the time, police said, and the encampment will now be dismantled by National Forest officials.
AGoFundMe to help the victim’s family with funeral costs has reached more than $12,000.