31-year old Edward Robinson of Columbia is charged with two counts each of first- and second-degree murder.
Ellicott City, MD – Howard County police have arrested a suspect and charged him with two counts of murder in a 2020 shooting in Columbia that killed 30-year-old Rabiah Ahmad and forced the delivery of her baby girl Ahja, who died five days later.
Edward Robinson, 31, of Columbia, is charged with two counts each of first- and second-degree murder and related assault and handgun violations. He was arrested in Gaithersburg on April 9 and is being held without bond at the Howard County Detention Center.
Ahmad was 28 weeks pregnant when she was shot while inside a residence in the 6600 block of Dovecote Drive. She died at the hospital. Doctors delivered Ahja, but she also later died.
At approximately 11 p.m. on July 31, 2020, police responded to the Dovecote address, where numerous people were living, for a report of several gunshots. Police discovered that multiple bullets had been fired into the house from the outside. Ahmad, who had recently moved to Maryland and had been staying at the residence for only a few months, was struck once; no one else was injured. Police believe she was not the intended target.
The case was turned over to the Howard County police cold case unit in September 2024. Through a tip and further investigation in the ensuing months, detectives learned that Robinson had a dispute with two individuals who also lived at the Dovecote address. Police believe that dispute led him to fire upon the house as a suspected warning to other residents.
The projectiles found at the scene were the same caliber as a gun recovered at Robinson’s residence in Columbia during a search warrant on April 9. The firearm will be tested to determine if it was the murder weapon.
“Our detectives never rest until they get justice for a grieving family, and today we were able to provide Rabiah’s family with some sense of closure,” Police Chief Gregory Der said. “Nearly five years have passed since Rabiah and baby Ahja’s senseless deaths, and I know it must have felt much longer for their family. Rabiah had an incredibly bright future, and her and Ahja’s lives were taken so callously. I want to commend our detectives for their tireless work and those who came forward to provide the information necessary to move this case forward.”
“On July 31, 2020, Rabiah Ahmad and her unborn daughter Ahja were taken from this world far too soon in an act of unimaginable violence. Their case remained cold for five years, and we are grateful for the efforts of the Howard County Police Department in identifying and arresting their shooter. We hope that Rabiah and Ahja’s family can attain some closure after all this time,” Howard County Executive Calvin Ball said. “Since Chief Der returned to the Howard County Police Department, we have made solving cold cases a top priority. We have increased the reward for cold case information to up to $30,000, expanded our Cold Case Unit by adding two dedicated investigators, and invested in new tools and outreach to highlight unsolved cases and bring new leads to light. Our efforts are making a difference, and we will continue to ensure that every resident is and feels safe.”