Man found guilty of killing outside Circle K in Palm Coast and sentenced to life in prison
A jury deliberated for less than an hour before returning guilty verdicts against a gunman who opened fire with an assault style weapon outside a Circle K in Palm Coast, killing one man and wounding another.
Marcus Avery Chamblin, 29, was sentenced Monday to the mandatory life in prison minutes after the jury found him guilty as charged of first-degree murder with a firearm in the killing of Deon O'Neal Jenkins, 26, in 2019. Chamblin was also found guilty of attempted second-degree murder with a firearm in the wounding of another man. The jury also found Chamblin guilty of shooting into an occupied vehicle.
Circuit Judge Terence Perkins sentenced Chamblin, whom the Flagler County Sheriff's Office dubbed the "Circle K Killer," to mandatory life in prison on the first-degree murder charge. Perkins sentenced him to 30 years in prison on the attempted second-degree murder charge consecutive or following the life sentence. The judge sentenced him to 15 years in prison concurrent to the life sentence.
Chamblin, who did not testify during the trial, did not appear to show any reaction to the verdict and sentence.
Jenkins' family members did not make any statements before sentencing and they declined comment outside the courtroom.
Derrius Braxton Bauer, 29, of Jacksonville, is also charged in the case and is awaiting trial. Bauer drove Chamblin from a hotel before the shooting at the Circle K and picked him up after the slaying, prosecutors said.
The shocking shooting with a high-powered weapon led to the most extensive investigation in the modern history of the Flagler County Sheriff's Office, Sheriff Rick Staly said at a press conference announcing the arrests in 2021.
A gunman waits in the shadows
Jenkins was sitting with a friend named Shakir Terry inside a car parked outside the Circle K at Palm Coast and Belle Terre parkways early on the morning of Oct. 12, 2019.
At 3:34 a.m., Chamblin, armed with a Draco assault-style firearm, came out from behind Circle K and opened fire at the car, killing Jenkins and wounding Terry, according to Assistant State Attorneys Jason Lewis and Mark Johnson who prosecuted the case.
Lewis and Johnson said that the shooting was motivated by anger. Chamblin was angry after getting a call from his brother, Dshawn Hosang, who said that Jenkins had threatened their grandparents. Chamblin's brother kicked Jenkins out of his grandparents' house in the B section of Palm Coast after an argument that night and then called Chamblin.
When he got off the phone, Chamblin said "I'm going to kill that (expletive)," Johnson said, quoting a witness named Jarod Humphrey who testified during the trial.
Chamblin and Bauer then left a gathering at the Red Roof Inn in Palm Coast.
Bauer went to the Circle K and shook hands with Jenkins before Jenkins went inside the store, Johnson said. A video showed Bauer then getting on the phone before getting in his vehicle and driving away.
Meanwhile, Chamblin was waiting with a mini-Draco, an assault-style weapon that looks like a shortened-version of an AK-47. Jenkins walked out of the Circle K and got in the passenger seat of the car. Chamblin then stepped out from behind the Circle K.
"And when he had the perfect opportunity, came out from the shadows and fired 16 gunshots into a car that Deon Jenkins was sitting in," Johnson said. "He wasn't a very good shot, because he only hit Deon Jenkins once and hit Shakir Terry once. But he was a good enough shot to kill Deon Jenkins."
Johnson recalled testimony from Hosang who, when he was called to testify, answered he didn't remember to a number of questions from Lewis about what happened that night. But when Lewis asked him whether he had told someone that his brother, Chamblin, was mad at Jenkins, Hosang responded he might have.
Defense tries to shift culpability
Chamblin's defense attorney, Terence Lenamon, shifted the blame to Humphrey, who testified for the state as one of its main witnesses. Lenamon said that, according to a witness, Humphrey had also visited the Circle K. He said Humphrey also received $2,000 from the Flagler County Sheriff's Office. Lenamon said Humphrey was dealing drugs and his charges for selling fake crack cocaine went away, suggesting another benefit he received for his testimony.
Lewis, who handled the second part of the closing argument, countered Lenamon knew the evidence was against his client.
"He knows that all the evidence points to this guy," Lewis said raising his voice, walking toward the defense table and pointing at Chamblin. "He's the murderer."
A poem and a gun
The prosecutors also showed jurors a journal with the words to a poem or rap, which read in part "The phone steady ringing momma said I made the news tonight ... best believe I didn't think twice. I sent the (slur) to the lord. Hoping they don't kick my door tonight." Lewis said Chamblin was writing about killing Jenkins.
The prosecutors showed jurors photos on social media of a smiling Chamblin holding the mini-Draco gun. According to Humphrey, Chamblin bragged about the gun. After the shooting, Chamblin sent a text message to a Virginia man who went by the street name of "Scorp" offering to sell the gun for $700 and then buy it back later for $750.
"He needed to get that gun put somewhere but, he loved that gun, he loved it," Lewis said emphasizing the words.
About the pictures of Chamblin holding the gun, Lewis said: "Look at that smile, he's super happy. He's got his gun. He's super happy."
Sheriff Staly issued a statement after the verdict.
“I’m thankful the jury connected all the evidence, so justice was served for the victim and his family. Now this killer will have the rest of his life behind bars to regret his decision to take the life of another young man,” Sheriff Staly stated. “In 2021, after a 15-month-long investigation, we got him and his accomplice off the streets. Thanks to the amazing team of investigators who pursued this murderer across the nation, and to the thorough prosecutors with the 7th Judicial Court, he will never get the chance to take another life again.”
In a statement after the verdict, State Attorney R.J. Larizza said, "This case illustrates how cheap human life has become to folks who live by violence. The defendant sprayed the vehicle with bullets from a long gun in the parking lot of a busy gas station/food mart. It was a miracle that more people weren't inured or killed. Holding the defendant accountable may provide the families some peace, but the grief they suffer will remain."
This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: 'Circle K Killer' in Palm Coast sentenced to life in Florida murder
