(Editor’s note: This story was originally published at The Palm Beach Post, a Gannett-owned media outlet. It was written by Julius Whigham II.)
WEST PALM BEACH — A judge has sentenced a Riviera Beach man to 10 years in state prison after the man pleaded guilty to charges related to the 2017 murder of mixed martial arts fighter Aaron Rajman.
Cameron Burgess-Clark, 28, pleaded guilty to one count of second-degree murder and two counts of armed home invasion robbery during a plea hearing Thursday before Circuit Court Judge Howard Coates.
Burgess-Clark was of the one of six people arrested in the July 3, 2017, fatal shooting of Rajman and is one of five to either plead guilty or be convicted at trial. Roberto Ortiz, who was found guilty of first-degree murder in August, is scheduled to be sentenced this month. Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office investigators said Rajman was shot during a fight that started after several people entered his suburban Boca Raton home that night.
An indictment charging Burgess-Clark with first-degree murder in 2019 said that swords, marijuana, narcotics, a scale and money were stolen from the residence south of Palmetto Park Road in what appeared to be a targeted home invasion.
Among the other people arrested in the case:
- In September, a judge sentenced Austin Baker to 25 years in prison after the 25-year-old pleaded guilty to charges of second-degree murder and armed home invasion, similar to Burgess-Clark.
- Two other defendants — Jace Swinton, 23, and Summer Church, 21 — pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in 2019 in exchange for 10 years in prison and 10 more of probation.
- The remaining defendant, Alton Anders, 33, has pleaded not guilty and is awaiting trial.
Rajman was a 145-pound featherweight who trained at a gym in Coconut Creek. He made his MMA debut in April 2014 and had a 2-2 record as a professional. Rajman grew up in the Boca Raton area, having moved to Florida from New York when he was a child.
During Thursday’s plea hearing, Coates sentenced Burgess-Clark to three concurrent 10-year terms in state prison and credited him with nearly three years of time served in jail while awaiting trial.
