A 23-year-old man will spend the rest of his life behind bars after a Marion County jury found him guilty on Thursday of premeditated first-degree murder with a firearm. Blayze Jurrien White was convicted in the 2024 shooting death of 24-year-old Derrick Lysander Brown Jr. following a trial heavily reliant on expert testimony and digital tracking data.
“This verdict and sentence reflect the relentless efforts of law enforcement, our prosecution team, and all those committed to seeking justice for Derrick and the Brown family,” said Bill Gladson, Fifth Judicial Circuit State Attorney. “While no sentence can undo this tragic loss, this outcome ensures that the defendant will be held accountable for taking a young man’s life.”
The conviction brings closure to a case that began nearly two years ago. On June 23, 2024, Ocala Police Department officers responded to a shooting off Northeast 8th Terrace. Inside the apartment, responding officers found Brown unresponsive on a couch with a gunshot wound to his head. Emergency medical personnel transported him to HCA Ocala Hospital, where he was pronounced deceased…