- Two men face life sentences for a self-defense shooting, despite claiming Stand Your Ground law.
- The judge ruled their self-defense ended when the victim retreated, despite still being armed.
- The NAACP questions whether the law is being applied fairly, regardless of race or background.
Florida’s controversial “Stand Your Ground” law is back in the spotlight, and once again, folks are asking whether justice depends on who’s standing in front of the judge. That’s a rhetorical question, we already know the answer.
According to News4JAX, the Jacksonville NAACP is throwing its support behind Jamarian Byrd and Travis Roberts Jr., two Baker County men charged with first-degree murder after a June 2025 shooting that left 19-year-old Devin Powers Jr. dead and another teen wounded. If convicted, both men could spend the rest of their lives behind bars. That reality is terrifying according to their mothers who say the situation has turned the last year into an emotional nightmare.
“You know what that carries,” Kalissa Warnick, Roberts’ mother, told News4JAX. “That’s life in prison.” When asked what it feels like knowing that possibility is on the table, Warnick’s answer was short:…