A man was sentenced to life in prison on Friday for killing another man in DeBary and then stealing his car, prosecutors said.
A jury found 33-year-old Sammy McKnight Jr. guilty of first-degree murder, auto theft with a firearm, burglary with a firearm and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
District Judge Leah Case sentenced McKnight to life in prison.
McKnight was accused of shooting 36-year-old James Shirley in the east parking lot of the Hampton Inn, 308 Sunrise Blvd., on June 17, 2022.
McKnight lived in Palm Bay, according to jail records. Shirley was homeless and lived in his car, a light blue 2007 Cadillac CTS, according to the affidavit.
A video surveillance camera recorded Shirley and McKnight “interacting” before McKnight walked out of the camera’s view, the affidavit states. McKnight and Shirley began interacting again at Shirley’s car before the two “got into an argument,” the affidavit states.
McKnight then shot Shirley five times.
Shirley ran to a nearby IHOP at 320 Dirksen Drive, where he collapsed in the lobby and died.
Meanwhile, McKnight got into Shirley’s Cadillac and drove away, the affidavit states.
Assistant District Attorneys Andrew Urbanak and Erica Kane prosecuted the case, which was investigated by the Volusia Sheriff’s Office.
“Your prosecutors continue to ensure that the citizens of the 7th Circuit,” District Attorney RJ Larizza said in a press release. “The defendant will spend the rest of his life in prison – a fate he more than deserves.”
