A local jury has handed down a guilty verdict for a 37-year-old man involved in a violent shooting at an Ocala motel earlier this year.
Donald Lorenzo Roberts Jr. was found guilty Thursday following a two-day trial. The prosecution, led by Assistant State Attorney Meredith Poisson, used video evidence to prove that Roberts chased a victim down a motel walkway before shooting them at close range.
Following the swift verdict, Judge Peter M. Brigham sentenced Roberts to 20 years in prison. Because Roberts is classified as a “Prison Releasee Reoffender,” this new sentence will be added to a 15-year term he is already serving for a separate case.
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The incident took place at the Motel 6 located off NW Blitchton Road, near the I-75 overpass.
Officers from the Ocala Police Department (OPD) rushed to the scene after the victim called 911 saying they had been shot. When police arrived, they found the wounded victim and immediately started giving medical help until an ambulance could get there.
Despite being injured, the victim was able to talk to the officers. They explained that the shooter had chased them along the second-story walkway of the motel. The chase ended when the gunman shot the victim at point-blank range.
While paramedics took the victim to the hospital, police began searching for the shooter based on the description the victim gave.
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It didn’t take long. An officer spotted a man matching the suspect’s description at a nearby Marathon gas station. When the officer stopped him, the man lied about his name, but police quickly identified him as Roberts.
The investigation uncovered a trail of evidence left behind by the suspect:
- The Gun: Police searched the area and found a revolver hidden inside the upper section of the I-75 overpass.
- The Clothes: A black hoodie with a unique design was found in the grass median. The design matched the sweatpants Roberts was wearing when he was caught.
- The Video: Surveillance cameras from the gas station and traffic cams caught Roberts on tape. The footage showed him walking from the motel, to the spot where the gun and hoodie were found, and finally to the gas station where he was arrested.
The jury reviewed the physical evidence and the video footage before finding Roberts guilty on all five counts he faced:
- Aggravated Battery with a Firearm
- Possession of a Firearm by a Felon
- Tampering with Physical Evidence
- Discharging a Firearm in Public
- Providing False Identification to Law Enforcement
With the trial concluded, Roberts will now begin his consecutive prison term.
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