Jevaris Dortch, age 22, sentenced to life for 2021 murder of Stanley Haybron, III in Floral City
State Attorney's Office (SAO), Fifth Judicial Circuit of Florida
State Attorney William M. Gladson
Serving Marion, Lake, Citrus, Sumter, Hernando Counties
Citrus County, Florida - After the mother of 21 year-old murder victim Stanley Haybron, III delivered an impactful message inside the courtroom on November 30, 2023, 22 year-old Jevaris Nathan Dortch was sentenced to life in prison, as a prison releasee reoffender, for Haybron's murder.
On November 16. 2023, after nearly six hours of deliberation, jurors delivered a guilty verdict on all charges for Dortch, which included the first-degree murder Stanley Haybron, the attempted first-degree murder of a second victim, attempted robbery with a firearm, and shooting into an occupied conveyance.
"In this case where a young life was tragically lost, a life sentence serves as a solemn acknowledgment of the severity of this crime and our commitment to ensuring public safety," said William "Bill" Gladson, Fifth Judicial Circuit State Attorney. "Our duty is to seek justice, and in doing so, we strive to bring closure and ensure accountability. Today, we stand firm in upholding that responsibility."
On December 27, 2021, the Citrus County Sheriff's Office (CCSO) responded to a call for service due to a shooting that had just occurred in the area of South Great Oaks Drive in Floral City, Florida. Deputies arrived at the location to find Stanley Haybron inside a vehicle with multiple gunshot wounds. He was pronounced deceased at the scene.
During their investigation, detectives determined that Dortch and his co-defendant, David Julian Murrell, both of Floral City, Florida and age 20 at the time, were traveling inside a vehicle with Stanley and another victim, a 27 year-old male, when Dortch and Murrell opened fire on the two victims. The second victim, although wounded, escaped from the vehicle and survived the attack. The surviving victim provided information regarding Dortch and Murrell to investigators. Additional evidence by Citrus County Sheriff's Office detectives Nick Norton and Dan Slingerland confirmed the involvement of Dortch and Murrell in Stanley Haybron's death and the shooting of the second victim, which resulted in Dortch and Murrell being arrested just one day after the shooting.
This case was prosecuted by Assistant State Attorneys Blake Shore and Kevin Davis.
In late October, 2023, David Julian Murrell was also found guilty of the first degree murder of Stanley Haybron, first degree attempted murder of the second victim, first degree robbery with a firearm, and shooting into an occupied conveyance. He was also sentenced to life in prison.