An Ocala man who fatally shot his fiancée’s ex-boyfriend during a 2024 middle school awards ceremony has been found guilty of first-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison.
On Thursday, October 8, 2026, a Marion County jury found 36-year-old Roderick Kelvin Watson Jr. guilty of premeditated first-degree murder in the death of 32-year-old Joseph James Jaurez Coles. The presiding judge then handed Watson the life sentence.
The conviction stems from a deadly shooting that occurred shortly after 6 p.m. on May 22, 2024, in the northwest parking lot of North Marion Middle School in Citra. At the time, the school was hosting an awards ceremony attended by dozens of parents and children.
According to the Marion County Sheriff’s Office and the State Attorney’s Office, Coles and Watson’s fiancée, who had two children together attending the middle school, became involved in a dispute in the parking lot over who would take the children home. Coles wanted to take the children with him, but the fiancée rebutted his request by stating there were still a couple of days remaining in the school year.
When Coles proceeded to grab the fiancée’s arm, Watson intervened. Officials stated that Coles then turned to walk away…