Wealthy business mogul Lloyd Preston Brewer III apparently woke up wanting to shoot someone, because nobody should have died in this instance. The victim happened to be Garrett Hughes, 21, in Key West, Florida, during a confrontation over Hughes urinating on the side of his building.
Some people don’t need to have guns. The courts saw it the same way. Hughes was the son of John Hughes, a local high school football coach.
Why Did Real Estate Mogul Lloyd Preston Brewer Shoot Garret Hughes?
Brewer claimed he shot Hughes because he “feared for his life” as the young man came at him in an aggressive manner.
‘He came at me in a threatening manner and appeared he was reaching for something on his side,’ he told detectives during interrogation.
Chief Assistant Monroe County State Attorney Joseph Mansfield said after the verdict that the shooting was not in self-defense, as Brewer claimed.
‘Lloyd Brewer had the opportunity to disengage but chose instead to return to the confrontation armed and use deadly force,’ he said.
The jury saw the evidence, didn’t believe Brewer’s account, and confirmed his blame in a premeditated killing.
Garrett Hughes Lost His Life In Front Of His Friends For Urinating On a Building
Brewer made claims that the victim was going to pull something from his waistband during the altercation on February 13, 2023. The teenager, however, was unarmed.
The real estate mogul also tried to play his MAGA handbook out of desperation, telling police during an interrogation: ‘I stood my ground… I feared for my life.’
Monroe County Circuit Court Says It Was Premeditated Murder
Brewer was found guilty beyond a reasonable doubt of first-degree murder by the jury which is a mandatory punishment of life in prison.
According to police reports, both men were present at Conch Town Liquor & Lounge watching Super Bowl LVII, about an hour prior to the unaliving.
Brewer happens to own the multi-storefront shopping center that bar is part of. It may have been acquired as part of a confidential settlement that was reportedly reached in a wrongful death civil lawsuit Hughes’ parents filed against Brewer shortly after their son’s death.
Preston Brewer Returned To Shoot Garrett Hughes In The Torso at Close Range After Walking Away
Surveillance footage captured leading up to the shooting shows a shirtless Hughes, unarmed and in flip flops, depart from the bar just after 12:30am and take a leak on the wall next to the parking lot.
For some reason, Brewer approached Hughes and verbally attacked him and then walked away. That’s the moment he decided that he was above the law. Reports say, he reached for his waistband and raised his arms. According to prosecutors he got into a firing stance with two hands on his weapon, and shot Hughes once, right in the torso. A kill shot at point blank range, according to witnesses.
Hughes’ friends looked on in horror and tried to rush him to the hospital as his life drained from his body. He died after being rushed to Lower Keys Medical Center.
Social Media Reacts To Life Sentencing Of Preston Brewer III
“But I thought all you Rusty bottom people said another group of people were the most violent,” one netizen said, pointing out the fact that narratives surrounding violence often feature people of color. “So it looks like it’s shifting huh. Reading it almost every day in the Mail. Well what do you know? And then you all have that audacity to make racial comments when it is brown people committing to crime.”
“Dumb a–, look at the kid. Clearly a criminal and the man was defending himself from the gun his friends took from the scene. The American could have died but thank God, did not,” said one rambling netizen.”
“White on White Crime is escalating! What’s in the Water?
1619 – 2019 > 400 Years of Silence
2019 – today > American Chaos,” said another netizen.
Others commenting under the original story in the Daily Mail, also suggested that Brewer’s entitled attitude got him his prison sentence.
“Brewer won’t do well in prison with that cocky attitude I suspect,” one commenter wrote.
“he lied about everything, and got caught by a camera he didn’t know was there… he was so confident and cocky, no remorse at all,” added another.
Preston Brewer Says He Was Standing His Grown, Garrett Hughes Made Threatening Movements
Brewer claimed he warned Hughes he was packing but he kept coming at him anyway. He claimed he fired twice and the second shot went up in the air as Hughes was allegedly on top of him. However, witness testimony and security footage contradicted his version of events, leading to the jury finding him guilty.
‘This case showed a conscious and deliberate decision to escalate a confrontation into deadly violence,’ Major Crimes Assistant State Prosecutor Colleen Dunne said after the verdict.
“We are deeply grateful to the witnesses who came forward and testified, knowing the difficulty and responsibility that come with telling the truth in a murder trial.
‘Their courage, combined with clear video evidence and thorough investigative work, ensured that justice was done for Garrett Hughes.’
Brewer’s Lawyers Say He Will Appeal Verdict
Brewer’s lawyer Jerome Ballarotto said he would appeal the verdict, claiming the judge didn’t properly instruct the jury.