Bradenton man convicted in 2020 shooting death of 16-year-old during memorial party

A jury convicted a 32-year-old Bradenton man on several charges related to the 2020 shooting death of 16-year-old Luis Roblero.

Troy Davis Sr. was found guilty of second-degree murder, tampering with a witness and harassing a witness following a weeklong trial presided over by Judge Stephen Matthew Whyte at the Manatee County Judicial Center in downtown Bradenton.

A sentencing hearing will be held at a later date.

The maximum sentence for second-degree murder in Florida is life in prison.

Prosecutors say Davis shot the teenager on April 11, 2020, at a party after an argument about broken beer bottles.

Deputies responded to the shooting at around 9:49 p.m. that day at the 5900 block of 13th Street Court East, where they found Luis dead from gunshot wounds to the torso and the head.

The Bradenton Herald previously reported that a 15-year-old boy also required hospital care after he was shot in the arm.

Deadly shooting at memorial party

When Luis and a group of friends approached Davis at the party to confront him about the noise from the bottles, witnesses said Luis did so while holding a Draco rifle, a Romanian semi-automatic pistol that takes design inspiration from the AK-47.

Witnesses, including Davis, said Luis had been openly carrying the gun all night.

Davis took the stand on Friday and said he felt scared when Luis and the others approached him with the guns. He also maintained that he was not the shooter, but he did not provide prosecutors with an alternative suspect.

“I really didn’t understand why they approached us with all these guns. I didn’t understand that. I was afraid that because that was happening that we were going to get killed for nothing,” Davis said.

But witnesses testified during the trial that while Luis had the gun in his hand, he never pointed it at Davis or anyone.

Witnesses describe shooting scene

One state witness, 23-year-old Julio Rivera, a longtime friend of Luis, whom he called “Chico,” said he saw his friend get shot twice.

During his testimony Wednesday, Rivera was asked by prosecuting attorneys whether the shooter was in the courtroom and whether he could identify him. He answered “yes” and pointed to Davis, who was wearing a blue suit.

Rivera also testified that the first shot caused Luis to hit the ground, prompting Rivera to take off and run. When he looked back, he saw “Chico” get shot a second time when he was on the ground. After he ran behind the house, he said he heard other shots fired from a higher caliber gun, which he and other witnesses who corroborated the additional shots said came from the rifle.

A Draco rifle was never recovered by investigators.

Initially, some witnesses had said that they thought the shooter was a Hispanic male and possibly Dominican. In a recorded jail call played for the jury during the trial, a friend of Davis called these witnesses “stupid” and Davis responded saying that “worked out great” for him.

The defense said this comment was “sarcasm.”

Cell phone provides key evidence

There were around 40 jail calls that the prosecution said appeared to show Davis attempting to pressure witnesses into changing their testimony. Seven of those calls were played during the trial.

In addition to the witness testimony, cell phone data was a key part of the state’s case.

Around 12 hours after the shooting, Sgt. Brian Quiles with the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office said that a Google search from Davis’ phone looked up Bradenton Herald articles about the shooting.

Shortly thereafter, Quiles said Davis’ phone did a background check of himself on CheckPeople.com and did a Google search of “what does the State of Florida need in evidence to prove a murder or homicide.”

Another message sent from Davis’ phone shortly before his arrest said “boss I’m going in on a body,” according to the data provided by Quiles. Davis said he only sent that message because he was at the party and assumed he was going to be charged with homicide.

Ammunition was also found at the scene of the crime, including five casings that were 7.62 caliber, as well as a casing from a 9mm Luger pistol, according to crime scene analysts.

Ammunition matching the 9mm Luger was found inside a bag in a white Kia Forte that prosecutors say Davis drove to the party.

The party where the shooting happened was a memorial for Luis’ older brother, Emmanuel “Mango” Roblero, who died two weeks earlier in what detectives say was an accidental shooting.