Charges are accusations, not proof. Anyone charged with a crime is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in court.
Criminal / homicideVerdictSentencing
Man pleads guilty to 2023 Canaveral Groves killings; state seeks death penalty
Aug 27, 2026 · Brevard County Circuit Court (18th Judicial Circuit)
Domenico Gigante, 40, representing himself, pleaded guilty to four counts of first-degree murder and one count of armed burglary in the March 1, 2023, shootings of four people in a home northwest of Cocoa. He waived a jury for sentencing, so Circuit Judge Laura Moody alone will decide between death and life in prison. The State Attorney's Office says it will continue to seek the death penalty.
Status: Convicted by guilty plea. Sentencing is pending; the State Attorney's Office expected the hearing in late October or early November.
Why it matters: It resolves the guilt phase of one of Brevard's deadliest crimes, and a death-penalty decision is next.
Sources: State Attorney, 18th CircuitWFTV
Last updated Oct 24, 2026
Criminal / homicideSentencing
West Melbourne man sentenced to 60 years in 2021 death of 3-year-old
Jun 22, 2026 · Brevard County Circuit Court (18th Judicial Circuit)
Joshua Manns, 30, pleaded no contest and was sentenced to 60 years in prison for second-degree murder in the child-abuse death of his girlfriend's son in 2021, with concurrent terms for related child-abuse counts. The plea agreement, supported by the boy's father, came as jury selection was underway and spared Manns a first-degree murder trial and a possible death sentence.
Status: Sentenced on June 22, 2026. A co-defendant was charged separately; that case is handled on its own.
Why it matters: It brings a court outcome in one of Brevard's most closely followed child-death prosecutions.
Sources: State Attorney, 18th Circuit
Last updated Oct 24, 2026
Criminal / drug traffickingSentencing
Merritt Island man sentenced to 30 years for fentanyl and cocaine trafficking
Apr 15, 2026 · Brevard County Circuit Court (18th Judicial Circuit)
A Brevard jury in February convicted Jeremy D. Priest, 51, of trafficking fentanyl and cocaine after a 2021 sheriff's raid found 523 grams of fentanyl, cocaine, cash and a loaded handgun at his home. Jurors also found he qualified as a Habitual Felony Offender. Circuit Judge Kathryn Speicher sentenced him to 30 years in prison followed by lifetime probation.
Status: Sentenced on April 15, 2026. A second trafficking case from 2023 was pending at the time of the release.
Why it matters: It is one of the larger fentanyl trafficking cases tried in Brevard.
Sources: State Attorney, 18th Circuit
Last updated Oct 24, 2026
Criminal / violent felonyVerdictSentencing
Life sentence after jury verdict in 2019 Rockledge carjacking and police pursuit
Mar 30, 2026 · Brevard County Circuit Court (18th Judicial Circuit)
A Brevard jury on March 26 found Jermaine D. Morgan, 36, guilty of carjacking, robbery, burglary of a conveyance with battery, and aggravated fleeing from police, all from a 2019 incident in Rockledge. Because jurors also found he qualified as a Prison Releasee Reoffender, Circuit Judge Charles Crawford imposed the mandatory sentence of life without parole on March 30.
Status: Convicted and sentenced to life in prison. A related firearm charge remained pending at the time.
Why it matters: It shows Florida's repeat-offender sentencing law applied in a Brevard violent-crime case.
Sources: State Attorney, 18th Circuit
Last updated Oct 24, 2026
Federal criminal / drug traffickingSentencing
Melbourne man sentenced to 30 years in federal prison on drug and firearm convictions
Jan 21, 2026 · U.S. District Court, Middle District of Florida (Orlando)
U.S. District Judge Wendy W. Berger sentenced Quentes Durrelle Simpson, 33, of Melbourne, after a federal jury convicted him in October 2025 of distributing methamphetamine and fentanyl and possessing a firearm as a convicted felon. A search of his home after controlled buys found more than 700 grams of methamphetamine, fentanyl, cocaine, loaded firearms and more than $36,000 in cash, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.
Status: Sentenced to 30 years in federal prison, with forfeiture of firearms and $600 in proceeds.
Why it matters: It came out of a joint DEA, FBI, ATF, Palm Bay and Melbourne police investigation in south Brevard.
Sources: U.S. Attorney's Office release (via Space Coast Daily)Orlando-News.com
Last updated Oct 24, 2026
