Jury Convicts Brewer Of First-Degree Murder In Conchtown Shooter Trial
Jurors find premeditation in fatal Super Bowl LVII shooting outside Key West bar and liquor store.
A Monroe County jury on Wednesday convicted Lloyd Preston Brewer, 60, of first-degree premeditated murder in the shooting death of 21-year-old Garrett Hughes, concluding Brewer acted with a conscious intent to kill during a confrontation outside a Key West bar and liquor store.
Jurors were polled and stated the vote was unanimous.
The verdict stems from a Feb. 13, 2023, shooting outside the building where Conchtown Liquor and Lounge, a bar and liquor store located on North Roosevelt Boulevard adjacent to Peacock Plaza in Searstown Plaza, was located following Super Bowl LVII festivities. Prosecutors said the shooting followed a day of drinking and partying by Brewer leading up to the Super Bowl.
Brewer shot Hughes after confronting him for urinating on the building adjacent to a parking lot owned by Brewer, prosecutors argued. Hughes was unarmed and attempting to leave the area when he was shot.
Both Brewer and Hughes came from prominent Key West families, a fact acknowledged during trial testimony and proceedings.
During the trial, jurors heard eyewitness testimony, reviewed surveillance video, and examined forensic and ballistic evidence prosecutors said contradicted Brewer’s claim that he acted in self-defense. Jurors were shown video footage and scene reconstruction evidence depicting Hughes backing away as Brewer fired.
Prosecutors also relied heavily on voluntary statements Brewer made to police before he was advised of his Miranda rights, in which he claimed Hughes was the aggressor. That account was undermined by multiple witnesses and video evidence, the state argued. Brewer’s self-defense claim was previously rejected during a failed Stand Your Ground hearing.
Earlier in the day, Circuit Judge Mark Jones denied a defense motion to dismiss the premeditated murder charge, ruling prosecutors had presented sufficient evidence for jurors to consider whether Brewer acted with premeditation.
The defense argued Brewer acted out of fear during a chaotic late-night confrontation and did not plan the killing.
Under Florida law, a conviction for first-degree premeditated murder carries a mandatory sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole.
Justice triumphs, but still a tragedy.