Page 41 - Florida Sentinel 10-14-22

CrimeTampa Family Stunned By 16 Shots
Judge Sentences 3 Men To Life Linked To A Double Murder
JAMES HIGGS, JR., KERMON WILLIAMS AND JHAPHRE HIGGS
Fired Into Home
Late Saturday night, Octo- ber 8, 2022, Lee and Catherine Bryant were at home when sixteen gunshots riddled their home.
One bullet caused a slight injury to Mrs. Bryant when a bullet struck a window blind. The couple stayed on the ground until the shooting stopped. Mr. Bryant then called the police.
The Bryants live in Progress Village where until recently, their street has been relatively quiet.
LEE BRYANT
Mr. Bryant would like to see increased patrols in the area to discourage more ran- dom acts of violence.
A federal judge handed down life sentences to three St. Petersburg men linked to a murder Tuesday.
U. S. District Judge Charlene E. Honeywell sentenced Kermon Williams, a/k/a “The General,” 42, James Higgs, Jr., a/k/a “Ham- mer,” 40, and Jhaphre Higgs, a/k/a “Pre,” 35, each to life in federal prison followed by 20 years’ impris- onment for a double homi- cide, murder for hire conspiracy.
Williams, Higgs, Jr., and Higgs were found guilty by a federal jury on June 24, 2022.
According to testimony and evidence presented at trial, Williams asked Jhaphre and James Higgs, Jr., to kill Tywan Armstrong, a rival drug dealer, who Williams saw as a threat to his drug busi- ness. Williams paid Jhaphre and James Higgs, Jr., with cash and drugs and gave them an AR- 15 rifle to commit the mur- der.
Jhaphre and James Higgs, Jr. made their first attempt on Armstrong’s life on September 22, 2018, shooting at him several times with an AR-15. Armstrong survived the first attempt on his life. Afterwards, Williams directed Jhaphre and James Higgs, Jr., to make the murder as public as possible to send a message on the street.
On January 21, 2019, Jhaphre and James Higgs, Jr., following
Williams’ directive, opened fire on Armstrong’s car with an AR-15 and .40 cal- iber pistol in front of a large crowd of people gathered at a St. Petersburg gas station.
The hail of bullets struck Armstrong 28 times, front passenger Roger Ford, 11 times, and a rear passenger several times.
Despite heroic efforts on the part of officers from the St. Petersburg Police Depart- ment and members of St. Pe- tersburg Fire Rescue, both Armstrong and Ford died from their injuries.
All three defendants have previously been convicted of multiple felonies.
Williams had previously been convicted of performing
a lewd and lascivious act in the presence of a child under the age of 16.
Jhaphre Higgs had pre- viously been convicted of ag- gravated battery with possession of a firearm.
James Higgs, Jr., had previously been convicted of accessory after the fact to murder.
“This demonstrates how science – in this case, digital ballistics technology – can breathe life into violent gun crime cases,” said ATF Tampa Field Division Special Agent in Charge Craig W. Saier.
“And despite the twist and turns over the course of the three-plus year investiga- tion, we never gave up.”
Woman Struck By Vehicle Dies
An unidentified woman was struck by a vehicle early Wednesday morning. Detec- tives are attempting to noti- fied her next of kin.
According to the Tampa Police Department, the unidentified woman was walking in the roadway on E. Hillsborough Avenue, at the foot of the Hillsborough River
Bridge shortly after 2 a.m. While on the bridge, the woman was struck by a vehi- cle traveling northbound.
The driver stopped and was cooperative with the in- vestigators.
No charges are pending against the driver.
The investigation is con- tinuing.
Thonotosassa
Man Killed In
Motorcycle Accident
A Thonotosassa motorcy- clist died after he crashed into a car near Florida State Fair- grounds. The accident hap- pened early morning on Saturday, October 8, 2022.
The motorcyclist, who has been identified as Justin Smith, was traveling south on US-301 when a Honda sedan leaving the fairgrounds turned into the highway, ac- cording to the highway patrol. The motorcycle crashed into the left side of the car.
The motorcyclist, who was from Thonotosassa, died at the scene of the crash from his injuries. He was not wearing a helmet. The highway patrol
JUSTIN SMITH
reported that the sedan driver and two passengers had minor injuries while one pas- senger, a 70-year-old Land O Lakes woman, had serious in- juries.
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