Titusville man found guilty of murder for 2020 shooting death of man driving to church
A Brevard County jury convicted a Titusville man Thursday for his role in the 2020 shooting death of 62-year-old Rickie Gilbert.
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Titusville police said that on Feb. 25, 2020, Gilbert was driving to a church near South Deleon Ave. and Gibson Street when he was inadvertently caught in the crossfire of an armed traffic dispute between two other vehicles. He died a day later.
On Thursday afternoon, jurors found 24-year-old Quantay Byrom guilty of second-degree murder.
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The jury got the case just before noon.
In closing arguments Thursday, Byrom’s attorneys accused prosecutors of wanting jurors to make an emotional decision, not based on facts, noting that Byrom did not fire a gun during the incident.
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Byrom’s defense team went on to argue the state didn’t show who started the shooting in the first place. His attorneys maintained that although Byrom was behind the wheel of one of the vehicles involved in the shooting, he never fired a gun.
Prosecutors said that, as the driver, Byrom could have stopped or even called the police. Instead, they said he continued to pursue the vehicle in front of him.
Byrom’s sentencing has been scheduled for June 6.
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