Justin Drinkard, 38, of Southport found guilty of beating local man to death with bat
PANAMA CITY — A Southport man was found guilty of beating another man to death with a baseball bat.
According to a press release from the State Attorney's Office of the 14th Judicial Circuit, 38-year-old Justin Drinkard of Southport was found guilty on Friday of the 2018 murder of Jerry Benefied, a 20-year-old Lynn Haven resident.
Drinkard's sentencing is slated for May 6.
"I'm happy for the family of the victim," prosecutor Peter Overstreet said in the release. "This was a brutal beating death. We had a defendant who repeatedly struck someone in the head with a baseball bat even after they were unconscious, then hours later tells investigators he would do the same thing again."
Drinkard was arrested and charged with murder on Nov. 25, 2018. The incident occurred in Benefied's home, located in Lynn Haven.
The trial took four days and ended after a more than two hours of deliberations by the jury.
"During the trial, Overstreet presented presented evidence and witnesses, including the victim's then 16-year-old girlfriend who witnessed the beating and tried to save him, that proved (Drinkard) showed up unannounced at (Drinkard's) home trying to buy methamphetamine," the release says.
"Drinkard admitted he had already consumed over 12 large beers and smoked crack cocaine. After using meth with the victim, Drinkard began to make inappropriate sexual comments to the young girl. (Benefied) attempted to get Drinkard to leave peacefully. Testimony showed he refused to leave and instead followed the girl into the bathroom and shut the door," the release says.
The release notes the girl screamed for help, prompting a physical altercation between Benefied and Drinkard, who "grabbed a baseball bat and began beating" Benefied in the head, "even after he lay unconscious," the release says.
"The girlfriend testified she did everything she could to stop the attack — hitting the defendant in the head with two different sized frying pans, the ceramic top from the toilet, whatever she could find — but that it did not seem to face (Drinkard)."
She then ran to a neighbor's house and called 911. Drinkard was still in Benefied's home when deputies with the Bay County Sheriff's Office arrived.
More from the State Attorney's Office: Man charged with unlicensed contracting after Hurricane Michael. Now he's been sentenced.
In the release, State Attorney Larry Basford thanked BCSO for its work in the case, which happened a month after Category 5 Hurricane Michael, while Bay County was still in a state of emergency.
"In ensuing interviews with detectives, (Drinkard) at times said he did not remember what happened and then admitted to hitting (Benefied) with the bat ... including after he was unconscious," the release reads.
This article originally appeared on The News Herald: Justin Drinkard, 38, of Southport found guilty of Lynn Haven murder
