LEWISTON — Nearly a year after 17-year-old Sahal Muridi was shot to death in front of his family’s Rideout Avenue apartment, a former Lewiston man has pleaded not guilty to killing him, state police said Monday.

Nasib Aden, 22, was indicted by an Androscoggin County grand jury May 6 and pleaded not guilty at his June 27 arraignment, according to a state police news release. He is being held at the Androscoggin County Jail in Auburn without bail on a charge of murder. He gave jail officials a Minnesota address as his residence, according to a corrections officer Monday.

Aden was arrested June 11 in Fridley, Minnesota, by the FBI Safe Streets Task Force. He was extradited Thursday and arraigned Friday, where he pleaded not guilty, the release said.

Aden is being held at the Androscoggin County Jail.

Muridi, described by friends as kind and well-mannered, was shot and pushed out of a car in front of family and neighbors on the night of July 14, 2024. Police responded to 77 Rideout Ave. just after 10:30 p.m. and found Muridi lying in the road with what the Office of Chief Medical Examiner later confirmed as a fatal gunshot wound to the neck and head.

Police at the time offered few public details, including Muridi’s cause and manner of death. Authorities have not said what led to the shooting or if any connection existed between Muridi and Aden.

Muridi’s killing sent shock waves through the city, which experienced a spate of shootings the same evening at a time when gun violence, particularly among youths, was increasing year by year. A vigil at Kennedy Park held days after the shooting drew dozens of friends, classmates and family members, where many shared memories and prayers for the Lewiston High School senior.

“He was very respectful and always wanted to stay away from trouble,” said one classmate who attended the vigil. “He always asked how your mom and dad were doing. He really cared about people.”

Muridi was described as a devout Muslim who had recently returned from a pilgrimage to Mecca. He often helped care for his younger siblings and was involved with his community. Friends at the vigil shared that he hoped to study health care or engineering after graduating from Lewiston High School.

In the following months, investigators from the state police Major Crimes Unit, Computer Crimes Unit and Crime Lab worked with Lewiston police to build a case, though authorities did not publicly name Aden until this week.