Jury convicts man in 2020 killing of Army veteran, but the investigation continues
Prosecutors scored a conviction against one person charged in the 2020 shooting death of John Dees, a U.S. Army combat veteran whose body was found dumped in the woods — but the investigation into his murder continues.
Cleveland McNair, 38, who faced a charge of first-degree murder, was found guilty Thursday on a lesser charge of manslaughter after a two-day trial. After the verdict came in and following emotional testimony from Dees’ family, Leon Circuit Judge Joshua Hawkes sentenced him to 13 years in prison.
Investigators believe two other people were involved in the murder: Sherill Conner, 53, who was letting Dees stay in her Mission Road apartment, and another individual whose identity is not yet known. Conner, who was charged with being an accessory after the fact, has a court hearing set for next month.
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Assistant State Attorney Lorena Vollrath-Bueno said it was a “hard case from the beginning” with questions she couldn’t answer for the jury.
“We knew that there was a third person that was involved who we were unable to identify and there was a car involved that we were unable to identify,” she said. “The firearm was never recovered. We had evidence indicating that Mr. McNair was the shooter, but I think the jury probably struggled with being able to say that beyond a reasonable doubt.”
Vollrath-Bueno added that she appreciated the hard work of the jury, which did what it could with the evidence and law before them.
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McNair opted not to take the stand in his own defense. And while Conner testified, Vollrath-Bueno said the state will not be making any plea offers or giving her other consideration as a result.
Dees, 34, was a New Orleans native who served more than seven years in the Army, including a 15-month tour of duty in Iraq, before settling in Tallahassee. He was well-known and liked in the Seminole Manor neighborhood, where he worked odd jobs for some of the residents.
On Jan. 9, 2020, Conner called police to ask that he be removed from her apartment on Mission Road because he was being loud and combative. When police said they couldn’t legally remove him, she allegedly contacted McNair, a felon with a violent criminal record.
McNair allegedly acknowledged telling someone that he “popped” Dees and that he doesn’t “leave witnesses,” according to court records. Jurors, however, found that McNair did not carry, display or use a firearm during the commission of the crime, one factor that led to their manslaughter verdict.
Dees’ family members traveled from around the country to attend the trial and speak out during his sentencing. Among them were his widow, who read aloud a letter written by their teen-age daughter.
Vollrath-Bueno said the Tallahassee Police Department continues to actively investigate the murder in hopes of learning the third suspect’s identity.
Contact Jeff Burlew at jburlew@tallahassee.com and follow @JeffBurlew on Twitter.
This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Jury convicts man in 2020 killing of Army veteran, but the investigation continues
