Page 33 - 7-24-15 Friday's Edition

Crime
Man On Trial For His Best Friend’s Murder
Man Sentenced To Life For Murder Of Popular Entertainer
Couple Charged With $1 Million Heroin Bust
ANTHONY JEROME LEE AKA SOUTH BEACH WANDA 2/17/1964 --- 5/28/2013
SOUTH BEACH WANDA ... Nationally Known Entertainer
JOSE ANGEL CERRILLO
MARIA ZACHARIAS
NEYKEE DEMERIUIS BOSTIC .....MURDER VICTIM.
OSCAR FOWLER .....allegedly shot his best friend 25 times because he
believed he had robbed him.
Almost a year after the July 2013 shooting of Neykee Demetruis Bostic, 32, his best friend, Oscar Fowler, was arrested and charged with first-degree murder. Fowler’s attorneys are saying police ar- rested the wrong man, and prosecutors built their case on rumors and street talk.
Bostic’s body wasn’t found for several hours after it was riddled with 25 bullets.
Bostic, an alleged drug dealer, and Fowler were hang- ing out the night before the shooting, police said.
When Fowler was dropped off at home, police said he was held up at gunpoint and his cell phone and money were
taken.
Prosecutors said Fowler
believed Bostic robbed him and retaliated by shooting him 25 times, and cell phone records place Fowler in the area of the crime at the time.
Attorneys for Fowler are saying the cell phone records and their connection to Fowler are misleading be- cause Fowler’s cell phone was stolen and he didn’t have it at the time of the shooting.
Fowler spent 10 years in prison for aggravated battery and other crimes before he was released in 2012. If he’s convicted of murdering Bostic, he could be sentenced to death.
BY IRIS B. HOLTON Sentinel City Editor
On Thursday morning, a Hillsborough County Judge sentenced a Lakeland man to two life sentences in prison. Last week, a jury found him guilty of the murder of a popu- lar nationally known, enter- tainer.
DeAndre Tollliver, 25, was convicted of the shooting death of Anthony Jerome Lee, 49, known in the enter- tainment community as “South Beach Wanda.” The shooting took place on May 28, 2013.
Lee was shot during an at- tempted robbery, while visit- ing a friend’s home in the 3900 block of E. Genesee. He died a few hours later at a local hospital. He was visiting an ill friend when the shooting took place.
Tolliver, of Lakeland, was arrested on the day Lee was laid to rest. He was charged with first-degree murder, armed robbery, and armed burglary of a dwelling with as- sault or battery. He was also charged with violation of pro- bation.
DEANDRE TOLLIVER
... Charged with first-degree murder
A spokesperson for the Hills- borough County State Attor- ney’s Office said Tolliver had been offered a sentence of 25 years in prison, but rejected the offer.
Ms. Barbara Lee- Thomas, sister of Lee, said she and her brothers and sis- ters sat through the 4-day trial. Another brother flew in from Louisiana for the sen- tencing.
“There are no real winners. We have to pray for God’s mercy upon him as we move on. I sat through the whole trial and I wouldn’t wish that on anyone. We are just over- whelmed by the community support and from many of his friends.”
The U. S. Attorney’s Office has filed criminal charges against two travelers. They were charged with conspiracy to pos- sess with intent to distribute one or more kilograms. If convicted, they both are facing a minimum of 10 years and a maximum of life in prison.
According to court docu- ments, on July 17th, the Tampa Police Department conducted a narcotics stop at a bus terminal. During the stop, police asked Jose Angel Cerrillo, 41, of Brownsville, Texas, Ms. Maria Zacharias, 59, of Chalmette, Louisiana, along with others for identification.
Police discovered an active warrant for Cerrillo’s arrest from Sarasota, where he was wanted for DUI, and took him into custody. At the time police asked if he was traveling with anyone and he said he was trav- eling alone.
Police asked Ms. Zacharias if she knew and she told the of- ficer she did not know him. She was then released.
After conducting a criminal history check on Cerrillo, po- lice discovered that he had two arrests for trafficking in nar- cotics that had taken place in 2015.
After Cerrillo bonded out of jail, he took a taxi to a motel and police kept him under surveil- lance. He met with Ms. Zacharias and they took a taxi. Police stopped the taxi after the driver committed several traffic infractions.
Police walked a K-9 unit around the vehicle and the dog alerted for the presence of nar- cotics. A search was conducted and four packages were found inside the bag Ms. Zacharias was carrying. A presumptive test of the substance inside tested positive for heroin. The packages containing the illegal drugs weighed 2.5 kilograms, police said.
Both Cerrillo and Ms. Zacharias were arrested and charged.
UNCLE SANDY SAYS...
A bank is a place 7, 8, 19, 30 where they lend you an umbrella 34, 38, 44, 49 in fair weather and ask for it 1, 11, 18, 22 back when it begins to rain. 6, 50, 55, 60
Suspects Sought In Robbery Of Family Dollar Store
Hillsborough County Sher- iff’s deputies are searching for two suspects in a robbery at a Family Dollar store in Thono- tosassa Tuesday night.
Deputies said a man walked into the store at 11701 Williams Road and left with $150 in merchandise con- cealed in a plastic hamper.
Deputies said the man was accompanied by a woman who left five minutes before the theft, possibly to prepare the getaway car.
The man is described as a Black male, 5’8” tall, and weighing between 325 and 350 pounds. He is in his mid to late 30s, bald, with brown eyes and a partial beard.
This is a surveillance photo of a man suspected of stealing from a Family Dollar store.
The woman is described as a Black female, 5’4” tall, be- tween 145 and 155 pounds, and appears to be 50 to 64 years old with short black hair.
Anyone with information is asked to all (813) 247-8200.
FRIDAY, JULY 24, 2015 FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY TUESDAY AND FRIDAY PAGE 23-A