The defendant responsible for the murder of Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office Sergeant Brian LaVigne was sentenced to 45 years in Florida state prison.
32-year-old Travis Garrett, who was paralyzed as a result of the crash, pleaded guilty to the following charges: Second degree murder, fleeing to elude high speed (serious bodily injury or death), battery on a law enforcement officer, resisting an officer with violence, and criminal mischief. Second degree murder is defined as the unlawful killing of another person without premeditation, but with a depraved mind and disregard for human life.
The crime occurred on January 11, 2021, when deputies responded to calls from neighbors that Garrett was naked and throwing furniture outside of his apartment in Brandon near Tampa.
The Central Florida defendant fled from deputies in his vehicle and crashed into the apartment’s gates. Garrett’s vehicle was equipped with a dashboard camera, which then showed him driving down Lumsden Road and accelerating at a high rate of speed into Sgt. LaVigne’s vehicle as he sat at a stop sign. LaVigne was pronounced dead at the hospital…