Florida Strip Mall Owner Convicted of First-Degree Murder After Shooting Man Who Urinated on Building
KEY WEST, FLORIDA — A Monroe County jury has convicted a 60-year-old Florida strip mall owner of first-degree murder after prosecutors proved he fatally shot a young man who had urinated on his property, rejecting the defendant’s long-standing claim that the killing was an act of self-defense.
According to court records, Lloyd Preston Brewer III was found guilty this week in Monroe County Circuit Court for the February 13, 2023 shooting death of 21-year-old Garrett Hughes outside a Key West bar.
Brewer now faces life in prison without the possibility of parole. He is scheduled to be sentenced on February 26.
Fatal Shooting Followed Brief Confrontation in Parking Lot
The deadly encounter occurred in the parking lot of Conch Town Liquor & Lounge on Roosevelt Boulevard during Super Bowl Sunday festivities.
Surveillance video introduced at trial showed Hughes, who was shirtless and intoxicated, urinating on the exterior of the building owned by Brewer and his family. Moments later, Brewer confronted the young man.
While the grainy footage does not clearly capture the gunfire itself, prosecutors said the video and eyewitness testimony established that Brewer reached toward his waistband, drew a firearm, and advanced on Hughes before firing.
Brewer fired two shots, one of which struck Hughes in the abdomen. Hughes collapsed and died shortly afterward in an alleyway behind the bar, authorities said.
Prosecutors Say Defendant Assumed “Shooting Stance”
Investigators testified that Brewer escalated the situation rather than retreating.
According to police reports, Brewer raised his arms into a two-handed shooting stance before firing the fatal shot. Prosecutors emphasized that Hughes was stumbling and unarmed at the time of the shooting.
“This was not an act of self-defense,” Joseph Mansfield, Chief Assistant State Attorney, said following the verdict. “The jury saw the evidence, rejected Brewer’s account, and held him accountable for a premeditated killing.”
911 Call and Self-Defense Claim Rejected
Brewer initially claimed he acted in self-defense, a position he maintained for more than two years.
In a 911 call played for jurors, Brewer admitted to the shooting, telling the dispatcher, “Yes, hello, I just shot someone.” When asked why, he said the victim “came at me aggressively.”
However, prosecutors said Brewer’s statements did not match surveillance footage or eyewitness accounts, which showed him walking away, then returning armed and cornering Hughes before firing.
That self-defense claim was formally rejected by a Florida appellate court in July 2025, clearing the way for the first-degree murder conviction.
Jury Upgrades Case to First-Degree Murder
Brewer was originally arrested on second-degree murder charges. In June 2023, a grand jury indicted him on the more serious first-degree murder count after reviewing surveillance footage and witness testimony.
During the trial, Brewer’s defense team called no witnesses, while prosecutors presented video evidence, forensic findings, and eyewitness accounts.
“This case showed a conscious and deliberate decision to escalate a confrontation into deadly violence,” said Colleen Dunne, Major Crimes Assistant State Prosecutor. “Justice was done for Garrett Hughes.”
Sentencing Set as Victim’s Family Awaits Closure
Brewer will be sentenced by Mark Jones, a judge in Florida’s 16th Judicial Circuit.
If sentenced as expected, Brewer will spend the rest of his life in prison.
The bar where the incident occurred has since permanently closed.
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