CITRUS COUNTY, Fla. – A Citrus County courtroom reached a definitive conclusion today as 37-year-old Dwann Demetrius Ross Jr. was sentenced to life in prison for the 2024 killing of a local business owner.
The sentencing follows a jury’s decision last month finding Ross guilty of second-degree murder with a firearm in the death of 33-year-old Traske C. Johnson.
The case dates back to a violent afternoon on May 28, 2024, at the Colonial Plaza in Inverness. Deputies arriving at the scene found Johnson lying in the parking lot with several gunshot wounds. Though emergency responders rushed him to a nearby hospital, he did not survive his injuries.
Ross, who also operated a business at the plaza, was detained by authorities immediately following the incident.
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Throughout the legal process, the defense maintained that Ross acted in self-defense, claiming Johnson was the primary aggressor.
However, investigators from the Citrus County Sheriff’s Office painted a different picture. Evidence presented during the trial showed that while the two men had engaged in a brief physical struggle, Ross had escalated the situation by retrieving a handgun and firing multiple rounds.
The investigation eventually shifted focus to the motive behind the confrontation. Detectives uncovered a series of heated text messages between the two men leading up to the shooting.
According to witness testimony and digital records, the dispute was deeply personal; Ross was reportedly enraged after learning that Johnson had shared details about Ross’s personal life and romantic involvements with a female acquaintance.
State prosecutors Blake Shore and Kevin Davis argued that these grievances, rather than an immediate threat to his life, drove Ross to pull the trigger.
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Fifth Judicial Circuit Chief Assistant State Attorney Walter Forgie commented following the sentencing that the life term ensures the defendant will be held fully accountable for the loss of life, noting that the outcome provides a formal sense of justice for the community.
With the sentence officially handed down, Ross will remain in the custody of the Department of Corrections for the remainder of his life.
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