A Florida woman who helped lure a male friend into a violent ambush carried out by her boyfriend will spend just over a year behind bars after receiving credit for time already served, authorities said.
Arianna Selina Gajraj, 23, was sentenced Monday to 36 months in prison after pleading guilty to attempted first-degree murder with a firearm and conspiracy to commit first-degree murder, according to court records from Lake County.
Lake County Circuit Judge Cary F. Rada handed down the sentence but credited Gajraj with 602 days she had already spent in jail while awaiting the outcome of the case. That credit means she has less than a year and a half remaining to serve.
Prosecutors say the plot unfolded shortly after Gajraj reconciled with her boyfriend, Brandon Pirela, following a breakup that had lasted several months.
Less than two days after the couple got back together, investigators say the pair began planning an attack on a man Pirela believed was involved with Gajraj.
The plan nearly turned deadly.
According to the Lake County Sheriff’s Office, deputies were called to Peppermill Trail in Clermont at around 1:53 a.m. after reports of gunfire.
When they arrived, investigators discovered a chaotic crime scene littered with evidence of a violent ambush.
Authorities recovered 21 spent 9 mm shell casings from the roadway. The victim’s vehicle had been struck by at least 13 bullets, while three rounds hit a nearby Massey work truck and another struck a mailbox.
Despite the barrage of gunfire, the victim miraculously escaped without injury.
According to investigators, the victim told deputies he had picked up Gajraj earlier that night so they could talk and smoke marijuana. During the week leading up to the shooting, he said Pirela had been sending him threatening messages online.
At one point, the victim asked Gajraj whether Pirela had any way to track her location. She allegedly told him he did not.
While the pair were parked on Peppermill Trail, the victim said a white Toyota Camry with dark tinted windows suddenly pulled up in front of them.
A man stepped out of the car wearing dark clothing and a mask and began firing a handgun equipped with an extended magazine.
The victim quickly reversed his vehicle and fled the area, telling deputies the gunman then chased him west along Old Highway 50 before he managed to escape.
Investigators later linked the suspect vehicle to Pirela through license plate reader data.
Surveillance footage also showed a car matching Pirela’s vehicle arriving at Gajraj’s home shortly before the shooting.
Detectives uncovered even more damaging evidence when they examined Gajraj’s communications.
According to investigators, Gajraj had been messaging Pirela through the text app Pinger for hours before the shooting. The conversation allegedly showed the couple discussing plans to kill the victim.
At one point, authorities say Pirela wrote bluntly about his intentions.
“No hes dying,” he allegedly said in one message.
Investigators say Gajraj ultimately helped refine the plan, suggesting that Pirela call her from a blocked number so she could convince the victim nothing was wrong.
She then allegedly sent Pirela her location shortly before the shooting began.
“The final message…sharing her location was sent approximately 12 minutes before the shooting occurred,” investigators wrote in court documents.

Gajraj initially denied seeing who fired the shots, but investigators say the digital trail revealed her role in the plot.
Pirela was later arrested and in January a jury found him guilty of attempted first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder.
He remains in custody awaiting his sentencing hearing.





