'It’s not normal to shoot your friend': Pensacola man sentenced to life for 2020 slaying
Nearly three years after 32-year-old Dillon Shanks was fatally shot in the back of the head, an Escambia Circuit judge levied a life sentence on the man responsible for the killing.
Escambia Circuit Judge John Simon sentenced 31-year-old Stefan Gislason to life in state prison Monday afternoon after a jury found Gislason guilty in October of the second-degree murder of Shanks back on April 20, 2020.
“The picture introduced by the state showed (Shanks) holding his clothes at the time,” Simon said as he paused and looked at Gislason during the hearing. “I don’t comment on the jury’s verdict, that’s for them to decide and that’s the way our system works, but it just seems to me that it’s kind of difficult for someone to be attacking another person when they’ve got their clothes in their hands and they're shot in the back of the head.”
Gislason’s case falls under Florida’s 10-20-Life statute, which bound Simon to sentence Gislason to a minimum of 25 years, but Simon had the discretion to impose a sentence of up to life imprisonment.
Gislason charged:Pensacola man charged with first-degree murder, accused of killing house guest
Murder conviction:Jury convicts Pensacola man of second-degree murder for shooting friend in back of head
Prior to Simon levying the sentence, one of Shanks’ older brothers, Robbie, took the stand.
“I learned what it was like to call your father with the most devastating news imaginable, and you hear what it was like to hear himself collapse on the other side of the phone,” Robbie said during the hearing. “Then I got to do it again and again and again for family member after family member.
“It’s not normal to have a gun around close friends that you trust the most,” he added. “It’s not normal to shoot your friend.”
After Shanks’ family took the time to tell the court how they hoped Gislason would be sentenced, Gislason’s mother, Nicole, took the stand and asked for mercy and the mandatory minimum sentence.
“I recognize the state’s minimum sentence for this offense is 25 years. That’s an incredibly long time,” she said. “The maximum sentence is life in prison, and (those) sentences are often imposed on those who planned the crime, committed multiple offenses and murders.
“Given the circumstances of my son’s case, I don’t see how a punishment greater than 25 years is warranted,” she added, “and I hope and pray that you’ll agree.”
Gislason's trial begins:Trial begins for Pensacola man charged with shooting friend in the back of the head
'I didn't want to': Pensacola man testifies he shot and killed friend in self-defense
What happened between Stefan Gislason and Dillon Shanks?
On April 20, 2020, Shanks and Gislason had been drinking alcohol throughout the day before returning to Gislason’s home, where a small party began.
During the night of heavy drinking, both men began arguing, which led to Gislason asking Shanks to leave the house. Witnesses who were in the backyard of the home said both men entered the house and moments later a gunshot rang out.
The prosecutor in the case noted that Shanks’ was found lying facedown with his arms wrapped around an armful of his clothes.
"The shot caused Dillon Shanks to fall forward on to an armload of clothing and personal items he was carrying at the time,” said Assistant State Attorney Matt Gordon during the trial. “He was carrying clothing because Stefan Gislason was ordering him to leave the house. Dillon Shanks was complying."
Gislason and his defense attorneys argued he was acting in self-defense and Gislason indicated Shanks was shot while the two were wrestling over a gun. However, Gislason never gave a straight answer as to how their struggle over the gun resulted in Shanks being shot in the back of the head.
Ultimately, the three-day trial ended in the jury convicting Gislason of second-degree murder.
“Mr. Gislason had at least six different versions of the story of what took place that night,” Simon said at the sentencing. “It struck me that even after the event took place, it took Mr. Gislason over an hour to call law enforcement or 911 while the victim (lied) on the floor.”
This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: Pensacola man Stefan Gislason sentenced to life for 2020 murder
