Murder, drive-by cases from Sarasota-Manatee linger in legal system. What's happening now?
Since the wheels of justice can often be slow to turn in the legal system, the Sarasota Herald-Tribune has put together a list of three area cases from 2020 where an arrest was made, but a trial has yet to happen, to help readers stay up to date. This is the first of a two-part series.
It's important to note that while some of these cases are scheduled for trial in 2023, that can change as settlements are proposed or hearings reveal more time is needed before proceeding, as was the situation with one case which was pushed back from its original trial date earlier this year.
Part 2 of this series: Two fatal crashes and a shooting: 3 cases awaiting trial in Sarasota circuit court
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Sarasota rapper still awaiting trial in connection to drive-by shooting
Sarasota rapper Jaymes Smith, also known as Shugg Stacks, is still awaiting trial in connection to an Aug. 14, 2020, drive-by shooting on North Washington Boulevard, according to court records. A trial is scheduled for July 2023, four months after a previously scheduled March trial was canceled.
A witness in the case was cut off by a Buick Encore SUV causing the driver to slam on the brakes. The witness told police the Buick appeared to be chasing a black Infiniti sedan, according to previous reporting by the Sarasota Herald-Tribune. The Buick pulled alongside the Infiniti, pointed a gun out the driver's window and fired several shots, according to reports. The Buick was registered to Hertz Rental, and officials said the car was rented to Smith approximately 37 minutes before the shooting, according to previous reporting.
Smith, 31, was in custody at the Sarasota County Jail on Aug. 28, 2020, in connection to a second unrelated shooting that occurred on Aug. 9, previous Herald-Tribune reporting stated. Smith is charged with two attempted murders in the second-degree charges, according to court records.
Sarasota County Jail records indicate Smith is no longer in custody, as it appears he bonded out in May 2021, according to court records.
Trials in the murder of Amber Woods, 16, to start in summer, early fall
Brothers Ralph Williams, 37, and Tyjuan Williams, 35, are both in custody awaiting their trials in connection to the murder of 16-year-old Amber Woods, whose body was found on the side of a rural Manatee County road in 2006.
Both are charged with first-degree murder, a capital felony, and Tyjuan Williams is also charged with murder in the second-degree with a firearm, according to court records. A jury trial in Tyjuan Williams's case is expected to start in late June, and a September jury trial is scheduled in Ralph Williams's case.
Their half-brother, Jamaine Brown, was also arrested and charged with kidnapping and accessory after the fact to murder. Brown pleaded no contest on Dec. 18, 2020, and was adjudged guilty, according to court records.
He was sentenced to 36 months with all credit time served and given five years of probation, both of which were to run concurrently with Hardee County cases. Brown's sentence came with the condition he would continue to testify in any prosecution hearing connected to Woods' death, according to court records.
In May 2022, two affidavits of violation of probation were entered into the court system for Brown and a warrant was issued for his arrest on May 9, 2022. Two confidential Florida Department of Corrections violation reports were entered in his case.
No trial yet for man arrested in connection to Palmetto man's death
In December 2020, Palmetto police responded to a shooting at Palmetto Trace Apartments where they found 27-year-old Ra'Shaad McDonald Sr. lying on the ground with several gunshot wounds. Officers started life-saving efforts and McDonald was transported to Blake Medical Center, where he died from his injuries.
Police learned McDonald was allegedly shot during an argument with Sirness Devon Stuarts. According to the affidavit in the case, McDonald was married to Stuarts' ex-wife and mother of two of his children. Stuarts was visiting his mother, who lived in the same apartment complex as McDonald and his wife, when an aggressive verbal altercation began between the two. Stuarts allegedly pulled out a handgun and began shooting.
Stuarts was served an arrest warrant in January 2021 while in custody at the Lake County Detention Center, according to court records, and is currently in custody at the Manatee County Jail. He is charged with murder in the second degree with a firearm.
A case management conference is scheduled for April 18, a continuance of a previously scheduled February hearing on the grounds that depositions of witnesses needed to be conducted, court records indicate.
Gabriela Szymanowska covers the legal system for the Herald-Tribune in partnership with Report for America. You can support her work with a tax-deductible donation to Report for America. Contact Gabriela Szymanowska at gszymanowska@gannett.com, or on Twitter.
This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Sarasota, Manatee unresolved cases: Update on three from 2020
