Jurors deliver guilty verdict in 31 minutes for man charged with first-degree murder.

A two-day murder trial concluded Wednesday afternoon with a jury returning a guilty verdict against Brandon Jordan Merizier. Deliberations lasted 31 minutes.

Wearing a gray suit and standing beside his lawyer, James W. Smith, Merizier took a deep breath when the verdict was announced. Circuit Judge Robert Hodges ordered a pre-sentence investigation.

Merizier, 19, found guilty of first-degree murder with a firearm, will be sentenced at a later hearing. The victim, Kobe Bradshaw, was 18.

Assistant State Attorneys Rich Buxman and Toby Hunt prosecuted the case.

Outside the courtroom, the victim's father, Kevin Bradshaw, said, "I don't want to see any more violence."

The Marion County Sheriff's Office investigated 15 murders in 2022. Three of those victims (20 percent) were juveniles. So far this year, of the eight murders the agency has investigated, half involved juvenile victims.

Those statistics only cover unincorporated Marion, not the cities of Ocala, Belleview and Dunnellon.

Smith said: "While we disagree with the outcome, we respect the jurors' decision. This is the first step in a long process and we intend to pursue all the legal options."

Merizier faces up to life in prison. Court records show he has several additional charges still pending. They include two counts of possession of a firearm by a delinquent and principal to burglary of a conveyance while armed.

Handcuffed by a bailiff, Merizier was led out of the courtroom. From there, he was taken to the county jail.

Background of the case

Merizier was 17 at the time of his arrest. He has been locked up at the county jail since November 2021.

Upgraded: Charges boosted to first-degree murder in death of 18-year-old Ocala man

His co-defendant is Ralph Fontil, 25, of Silver Springs Shores. Fontil also faced a federal firearms charge, but he was acquitted. He's presently out of jail on bond awaiting resolution of the murder charge. He was present in court on both days of the trial.

Bradshaw was shot multiple times at an Ocala Park Estates residence on June 5, 2021. Sheriff's detectives said the victim was shot by two masked suspects who escaped.

The victim was in the garage when gunfire erupted. Bradshaw, who was a visitor at the Ocala Park Estates home, managed to make his way inside before collapsing.

Authorities said they were able to connect Fontil and Merizier to the crime by scouring surveillance video, cellphone data, vehicle identification information and social media postings.

Originally, the men were charged with second-degree murder. Prosecutors elevated the charge due to the vicious nature of the crime.

Closing arguments

Prosecutor Hunt told jurors the evidence against Merizier is compelling. He said the motive for the shooting was revenge/retaliation for the killing of Chris "Chevy" Chevelon, a 15-year-old Vanguard High School student and football player who was shot and killed in December 2020 at Sutton Place Apartments.

That case was investigated by the Ocala Police Department. Prosecutors determined the killing was a case of self defense.

Of the 15 shots directed toward Bradshaw, four struck the 18-year-old, according to testimony presented in court. Three of the four bullets struck Bradshaw's upper body, and the fourth penetrated his right hand.

Hunt said Merizier made Snapchat videos before and after Bradshaw's shooting. Pointing at Merizier, the prosecutor said: "This defendant and Ralph Fontil gunned down Kobe Bradshaw."

He said there's proof showing Merizier and Fontil drove separate vehicles to the crime scene. The prosecutor said cellphone data proves they were in the area at the time of the shooting. Hunt said there were incriminating telephone conversations between Fontil and Merizier before and after the shooting.

Merizier's fingerprint was found on the pickup truck driven by Fontil, Hunt said. He added that Merizier sent Fontil a Snapchat video about a newspaper article that described the shooting.

Smith said while Bradshaw's death is tragic, he urged jurors to follow the evidence and not be swayed by emotion.

He outlined three reasons his client is innocent. First, he said the evidence against Merizier is flawed. Second, he said the story linking his client to the shooting is odd and told jurors to be skeptical of the testimony given in court by a prosecution witness against Merizier.

Finally, Smith noted that the state had no eyewitnesses placing Merizier at the crime scene and no DNA linking Merizier to the shooting.

"They can say it, but can they actually prove it," Smith said.

The defense lawyer said while the Snapchat postings showed poor judgment, they don't prove Merizier committed the crime.

The trial

During the trial, which began with jury selection on Monday and testimony starting the next day, both Hunt and Buxman took turns questioning more than two dozen people.

Prosecutors rested their case shortly after calling one person to the stand after the trial resumed at 1:15 p.m. on Wednesday.

As is customary, the defense asked the judge for a judgment of acquittal, arguing the state's case was merely circumstantial and that the prosecution had offered no proof that his client was involved in Bradshaw's death.

The state told the judge they made their case. The judge agreed. The defense told the judge that they had no witnesses.

Jurors went to the back to talk about the case at 4:25 p.m. At 4:56 p.m., they announced they had made up their minds. The clerk read the verdict aloud at 5:09 p.m.

Contact Austin L. Miller at austin.miller@starbanner.com or @almillerosb

This article originally appeared on Ocala Star-Banner: Jury: Ocala man is guilty of first-degree murder. Victim was 18