A Palm Beach County jury has found Saam Rajaei, 27, guilty of manslaughter in the 2016 shooting death of his high school friend, James Cartigiano, bringing a long-running Delray Beach tragedy to a close. Sentencing is set for Aug. 6 at 1:30 p.m., and the judge has ordered Rajaei held in custody while a pre-sentencing investigation is completed.
After roughly two days of testimony, jurors in Delray Beach returned the manslaughter verdict. According to CBS12, investigators told the court that physical evidence and forensic analysis contradicted parts of Rajaei's account and that the case grew from what authorities described as the careless handling of a firearm.
How Investigators Say The Shooting Unfolded
Records and earlier reporting show the Jan. 22, 2016, shooting happened at a home on Sawpine Drive where several teens had been handling a .38-caliber revolver and "dry firing" it before it was later loaded and left on a kitchen counter. Witnesses told deputies that Cartigiano picked up the gun believing it was unloaded and that Rajaei tried to take it away moments before the single shot that struck him, as reported by West Boca News.
911 Call And Immediate Aftermath
After the gun went off, Rajaei called 911. In the recording he told dispatchers, "I didn't mean for this to happen," according to court filings and prior coverage. Earlier reporting by CBS12 notes that Cartigiano was taken to Delray Medical Center and later pronounced dead, and the medical examiner ruled the death a homicide.
What's Next
Rajaei is scheduled to return to Courtroom 11B on Aug. 6 for sentencing, following completion of the pre-sentencing investigation, when a judge will determine his punishment. The verdict caps a decade-long case that began with a teens' gathering and the fatal handling of a revolver in Delray Beach.
