Marijuana, Murder

Law Grad Allegedly Murdered Fellow Classmate In Drug Deal Gone Bad

Both law school graduates were apparently "in the game" of selling marijuana.

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Last month, the body of Shazim Uppal, a recent graduate of Temple University School of Law, was found inside his car in a Delaware parking lot. His upper torso was riddled with bullets, and his death had been ruled a homicide by police. At the time, details were scant, but now an arrest has been made in the case.

Police say that Benjamin Rauf, a 2015 graduate of Temple Law, shot his classmate to death during a drug deal that was orchestrated by the would-be lawyers. Authorities believe that Rauf intended to rob Uppal of his stash. The News Journal has additional details on Uppal’s and Rauf’s alleged ties to the drug trade:

[C]ounty police said a “substantial” amount of marijuana had been found in Uppal’s car. On Wednesday, Setting said the amount was “excessive,” and that both Uppal and Rauf were players “in the game” of selling marijuana.

Rauf has a prior marijuana-related arrest on his record, and the crime allegedly took place while he was still in law school. In August 2014, after being pulled over by police, he was charged with criminal possession of a controlled substance and possession of marijuana.

Earlier this week, when Rauf was taken into custody by New York police, a gun was recovered a gun that matched ballistics from the scene of Uppal’s murder. When he is extradited to Delaware, Rauf will face a first-degree murder charge as well as a charge related to his alleged possession of a deadly weapon during the commission of a felony.

This case may have gotten messier, but we at Above the Law would like to extend our continued condolences and sympathies to Shazim Uppal’s family, friends, and colleagues.

Police: Fellow law student killed Delaware man during drug deal [News Journal]
NY man charged in murder of Temple law grad [Philadelphia Daily News]
Temple law grad is charged with fatally shooting classmate during claimed drug deal
[ABA Jounal]

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Earlier: Recent Law School Graduate Found Shot To Death In Car

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