Our card this week is Javed Akhtar, the Jack of Diamonds from Connecticut.When 32-year-old Javed Akhtar was fatally shot outside his convenience store in East Windsor, Connecticut, on a cold winter night in 2007, his wife, their two young children, and a community of loyal customers were desperate for answers. Police soon found the murder weapon, but solving the case wouldn’t be simple, and the investigation stalled for years. Now, after reviewing case files for this episode of The Deck, investigators are pursuing new leads on three suspects, including one man with a direct link to that gun.If you have any information about the death of Javed Akhtar, please contact the Connecticut Cold Case Unit at 1-866-623-8058 or email [email protected]. View source material and photos for this episode at: thedeckpodcast.com/javed-akhtar Let us deal you in… follow The Deck on social media.Instagram: @thedeckpodcast | @audiochuckTwitter: @thedeckpodcast_ | @audiochuckFacebook: /TheDeckPodcast | /audiochuckllcTo support Season of Justice and learn more, please visit seasonofjustice.org. The Deck is hosted by Ashley Flowers. Instagram: @ashleyflowersTikTok: @ashleyflowerscrimejunkieTwitter: @Ash_FlowersFacebook: /AshleyFlowers.AF Text Ashley at 317-733-7485 to talk all things true crime, get behind the scenes updates, and more!
Full Episode
Our card this week is Javid Akhtar, the Jack of Diamonds from Connecticut. And hi, the deck listeners, Britt here. And this week, Ashley's passing the mic over to me to deal you in on our last case of the year. And this case is a special one.
It's a true testament to what's possible when our reporting team works closely with law enforcement on decades-old cold cases, sparking new questions that send them chasing down new leads, leads that hopefully will bring the answers loved ones have been searching for for nearly 20 years.
On a freezing cold winter night 17 years ago, Javid's wife, Rafia, was at home with their young twins waiting for her husband to return from work at their small town convenience store. But Javid never did come home. Shot once outside his store, he'd spend 10 agonizing days fighting for his life in the ICU before succumbing to the injury.
To this day, no one knows who fired that fatal shot, but investigators are close to putting the pieces together. I'm Brit Prewatt, And this is the deck. It was around 9.15 p.m. on February 28th, 2007, when a local sandwich shop owner named Brian closed up his store and headed home from work.
Even though it was only 15 degrees outside, he had his car window cracked open, letting in just a bit of frigid New England winter air. And as he drove through the dark, down Depot Street in East Windsor, Connecticut, he heard a sudden pop sound ring out in the otherwise quiet night, loud enough for him to hear over his car radio.
Seconds later, he saw two people run across the road and jump over a fence that led to a nearby apartment complex. They appeared to be running away from another local business in a sleepy small town, a convenience store called The One Stop. Brian got the feeling that something bad had just gone down at the little corner store, so he pulled into the parking lot to check.
And sure enough, his gut feeling was right on the money. He spotted a man who looked to be in his 30s on the ground in the parking lot. Brian jumped out of his car, raced to the man's side, and saw he was bleeding out fast from a wound in his chest. Brian recognized this man. He didn't know him personally, but he knew of him. Most people in town did.
32-year-old Javid Akhtar ran the One Stop convenience store pretty much all on his own. He was there seven days a week. And just like the name suggests, One Stop was a place the residents of East Windsor stopped into often to stock up on everything from groceries to coffee to cigarettes and lottery tickets.
Brian dialed 911 as quickly as he could from his cell phone, and within minutes, police and EMTs were screeching into the parking lot. East Windsor Police Chief Matthew Carl was a detective with the department at the time. He was nearby investigating an unrelated robbery at a gas station that night when he got the call about the shooting.
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