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Thread: Jecorian McCray Sentenced to LWOP in 2016 FL Murder of Joe Brenton

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    Jecorian McCray Sentenced to LWOP in 2016 FL Murder of Joe Brenton



    Joe Brenton






    Prosecutors to seek death penalty in Jacksonville witness murder

    By News4JAXnews.com Staff

    JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - The State Attorney's Office intends to seek the death penalty for Jecorian McCray if he is found guilty of first-degree murder in the September 2016 slaying of a witness.

    McCray, 24, is accused of masterminding the plot to kill University of North Florida employee Joe Brenton and using jailhouse calls to recruit his teen stepbrother to carry out the killing.

    Brenton was gunned down at his Oceanway home Sept. 21 to keep him from testifying against McCray in a 2014 burglary case, according to the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office.

    McCray and his stepbrother, Dakarai Maxwell, were indicted last month on murder and conspiracy charges. Maxwell, who was 17 at the time of the killing, won't face the death penalty.

    The step siblings were charged with burglary after Brenton's home was broken into and ransacked in 2014. Prescription drugs and jewelry were taken in the burglary, which was caught on camera.

    McCray, who previously served time for armed robbery, was arrested for the burglary in 2015. Police said recorded phone conversations indicated he was anxious about returning to prison.

    According to court records, McCray first enlisted his girlfriend, Teirany Shelton, to lean on Brenton's family. When that plan fell through, records state McCray ordered a hit to silence Brenton.

    McCray has pleaded not guilty to charges of first-degree murder, conspiracy to commit murder and witness tampering. Jury selection in the case is set for November.

    https://www.news4jax.com/news/crime/...witness-murder
    "I realize this may sound harsh, but as a father and former lawman, I really don't care if it's by lethal injection, by the electric chair, firing squad, hanging, the guillotine or being fed to the lions."
    - Oklahoma Rep. Mike Christian

    "There are some people who just do not deserve to live,"
    - Rev. Richard Hawke

    “There are lots of extremely smug and self-satisfied people in what would be deemed lower down in society, who also deserve to be pulled up. In a proper free society, you should be allowed to make jokes about absolutely anything.”
    - Rowan Atkinson

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    Remembering the life of a murdered UNF employee as case remains unresolved

    By Kaitlyn Bowers
    Spinnaker

    Three years ago, a UNF IT engineer, father, and husband lost his life to an unnecessary and violent crime. Today, we remember the victim and see where the case stands now.

    Joe Brenton was 48 years old when he was found shot and killed in his home just before 3 a.m. on September 21, 2016. Brenton was set to testify in a burglary trial the following day.

    The burglary that warranted this trial is what set off this chain of unfortunate events. Jecorian McCray, 23, and his 17-year-old stepbrother Dakarai Maxwell broke into Brenton’s home midday on September 21, 2014. The two stole pricey items out of the home, such as appliances, jewelry, and prescription drugs. The entire event was caught on the family’s surveillance system, which can be viewed above.

    McCray’s court date was set two years later, on September 22, 2016. Brenton was the prosecution’s number 1 witness in the case, which seemed to frightened McCray. Due to this fear, McCray allegedly sent his 21 year old girlfriend Teirany Shelton to the Brenton house in an attempt to bribe the family. Supposedly, McCray was hoping that, with the right amount of money, Brenton would claim that he allowed McCray and Maxwell into his house. Brenton refused the bribe money.

    Things were not looking good for McCray, who feared going to jail for upwards of 15 years. This is when prosecutors say he asked his stepbrother, via telephone conversation while incarcerated, to kill Joe Brenton with the help of 19-year-old Demetrius Ford. In this jailhouse call, the police say he describes where, when, how and why Maxwell must do this.

    “I don’t think you are going to do all that, but that’s why I’m telling you to knock on the door. So I’m telling you this is, ‘I’m such and such and such and such a Jacksonville you feel me? We are here to question you. And they’re going to be like, and open that big — boom, boom, boom, boom, boom. You feel me?” McCray allegedly said to Maxwell. “When you see them come to that bit and you see their a**, you know that you got that see-through glass s*** — wet that s*** up. Boom, boom, boom, boom, boom, boom through that bit, you feel me?”

    According to prosecutors, Maxwell followed these instructions, and shot Brenton through the glass windows of his family’s home. Brenton’s wife and daughter were home when the homicide occurred.

    Maxwell was charged with the murder of Brenton and will be tried as an adult. McCray was also charged with murder, while Shelton and Ford were charged with tampering with a witness and conspiracy to commit a capital felony respectively. However, it has been three years since the homicide occurred, and yet there have been no resolutions to this case.

    Upon being contacted, the State Attorney’s Office had this to say: “The Jecorian McCray case is still active and ongoing. The next hearing is set for November and there is no date yet set for trial.”

    Maxwell’s case also remains active, and his next hearing is set for October. Both have entered a plea of not guilty. While prosecution is not seeking the death penalty for Maxwell due to his age, the same cannot be said for McCray, who received a notice of intent to seek the death penalty on September 14, 2017.

    The details of this case are upsetting to friends, family and coworkers alike.

    “The whole concept of why this happened is infuriating to me,” said Clay Maddox, the assistant director of networking at UNF and the late Brenton’s boss.

    Maddox worked with Brenton for over a decade. The two worked closely together, and Maddox was actually the one to receive the call about Brenton’s passing.

    “It was a gut punch. You can never expect that,” Maddox said about receiving the call. “Joe had taken a couple of days off, specifically around a trial for breaking and entry. He was supposed to be going for trial prep one day, the next day he was supposed to be going for a trial, and the day he was supposed to be at the trial was the day I got the phone call from his wife, Venus. I expected to see him on Monday, right? Not get a call saying, ‘I’m sorry, your valued employee who we love and was a friend and a colleague for many, many years has been murdered in his own home in front of his child.'”

    Brenton worked with UNF for over 20 years, as he started his career at the school in 1995. According to Maddox, Brenton was essential in helping build the network we have at UNF today.

    “Joe was intelligent, hardworking, and very dedicated. He had the capabilities and the intelligence to leave the university and probably make significantly more money than what he did here, but he loved it here. He loved the work/life balance, he loved the students, he loved education,” said Maddox.

    Joe Brenton is survived by his daughter and his wife, Venus, who works tirelessly to get this case resolved.

    https://unfspinnaker.com/78912/lates...ns-unresolved/
    "I realize this may sound harsh, but as a father and former lawman, I really don't care if it's by lethal injection, by the electric chair, firing squad, hanging, the guillotine or being fed to the lions."
    - Oklahoma Rep. Mike Christian

    "There are some people who just do not deserve to live,"
    - Rev. Richard Hawke

    “There are lots of extremely smug and self-satisfied people in what would be deemed lower down in society, who also deserve to be pulled up. In a proper free society, you should be allowed to make jokes about absolutely anything.”
    - Rowan Atkinson

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    Four year anniversary of UNF employee’s murder

    By Hayley Simonson
    Spinnaker

    It has been four years since UNF IT engineer, Joe Brenton, was tragically murdered in his own home.

    On Sept. 21, 2016, Joe Brenton, husband and father, was 48 when he was shot and killed through the glass window of his home.

    Jecorian McCray, and his stepbrother, Dakarai Maxwell, broke into Brenton’s home two years earlier. The burglary was caught on surveillance cameras.

    The day after Brenton’s death, Sept. 22, 2016, Jecorian McCray, a suspected burglar at the time, was scheduled to stand trial where Brenton was the prosecution’s number one witness.

    McCray had allegedly sent his girlfriend to the Brenton residence previously to offer up a bribe. This bribe was supposedly an attempt to see if the family would change their story to make McCray and Maxwell seem innocent in the burglaries. The family refused the bribe. According to prosecutors, McCray asked his brother, Dakarai Maxwell, to kill Brenton via telephone, while incarcerated.

    Maxwell allegedly then proceeded to shoot and kill Joe Brenton through the glass of his home, while his wife and daughter were present, according to prosecutors.

    Four years later, and there has still been no final resolution to the drawn out case.

    McCray is being charged with murder in the first degree, conspiracy to commit murder, and tampering with a witness, victim, or informant. Maxwell is also being charged with murder in the first degree and conspiracy to commit murder.

    In early 2017, police discovered a tip from another inmate’s mother that led them to discover that McCray was carving a hole in his jail cell and had a rope made out of bed sheets. He is now facing additional charges for attempted escape from jail and criminal mischief.

    Both cases are still going through the pre-trial stages.

    McCray’s private attorney commented on the case by saying that they’re still in the litigation process. The attorney said that it is not unusual for cases with such serious charges to linger a few years. The state is seeking the death penalty in this case but it has not been waived through the litigation process. A trial was supposed to happen in October 2020. butHowever, due to COVID-19, it was set back to sometime in spring of 2021, according to the attorney.

    Maxwell’s private attorney declined to comment on the case.

    https://unfspinnaker.com/86850/news/...loyees-murder/
    "I realize this may sound harsh, but as a father and former lawman, I really don't care if it's by lethal injection, by the electric chair, firing squad, hanging, the guillotine or being fed to the lions."
    - Oklahoma Rep. Mike Christian

    "There are some people who just do not deserve to live,"
    - Rev. Richard Hawke

    “There are lots of extremely smug and self-satisfied people in what would be deemed lower down in society, who also deserve to be pulled up. In a proper free society, you should be allowed to make jokes about absolutely anything.”
    - Rowan Atkinson

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    Opening arguments to begin in trial of Jacksonville man accused of ordering a hit on UNF employee

    Jecorian McCray, 28, is accused of having his then 15-year-old stepbrother shoot and kill Joe Brenton in his own home in September 2016

    By First Coast News Staff

    JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Opening arguments in the death penalty trial of a Jacksonville man accused of ordering a hit on a University of North Florida employee will get underway this morning.

    A jury was seated in the case Tuesday. You can watch the proceedings live here starting at 9 a.m.

    Jecorian McCray, 28, is accused of having his then 15-year-old stepbrother shoot and kill Joe Brenton in his own home in September 2016.

    Brenton, an IT specialist at UNF, was set to testify at McCray’s burglary trial the day he was killed. His wife and daughter were home at the time.

    Since his arrest, McCray has been arrested an additional five times in jail for charges including battery, attempted escape and lewd and lascivious acts.

    His stepbrother, Dakari Maxwell, is being charged as an adult. His trial is set to begin next month.

    https://www.firstcoastnews.com/artic...b-3c3cee9b88e5
    "I realize this may sound harsh, but as a father and former lawman, I really don't care if it's by lethal injection, by the electric chair, firing squad, hanging, the guillotine or being fed to the lions."
    - Oklahoma Rep. Mike Christian

    "There are some people who just do not deserve to live,"
    - Rev. Richard Hawke

    “There are lots of extremely smug and self-satisfied people in what would be deemed lower down in society, who also deserve to be pulled up. In a proper free society, you should be allowed to make jokes about absolutely anything.”
    - Rowan Atkinson

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    Daughter testifies she was once 'best friends' with the man accused of murdering her father

    Jurors may find the defendant "putrid" and "despicable," his attorney says, but they should not convict him of first degree murder

    By Anne Schindler
    First Coast News


    JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — An emotional support dog took the stand alongside the wife and daughter of a murdered University of North Florida employee on a difficult first day in the trial of his accused killer.

    Joe Brenton, 47, was shot and killed in the doorway of his Northside home in September 2016, hours before he was set to testify at the burglary trial of Jecorian McCray.

    McCray, who was in jail at the time, is accused of enlisting his then 17-year-old brother to carry out the crime.

    “He might have been behind bars at the Duval County Jail,” Assistant State Attorney Joel Cooper told jurors, “but in the early morning hours of September 21, 2016, he might as well have been standing right next to his brother, leaning over his shoulder, whispering in his ears.”

    Cooper detailed a series of plans he said McCray hatched to prevent Brenton from testifying, including burning down his house with a Molotov cocktail and bribing him -- something McCray’s ex-girlfriend will testify to on Thursday. Jurors will also hear several jail telephone recordings that prosecutors say amount to a “confession” as McCray urges his brother to “drop your nuts and ammo up."

    “He gets very specific, and says, this is how I want you to do it,” Cooper told jurors. “When the daddy comes to the door, wet that sh*t up,” he quoted McCray saying. “Boom, boom, boom, boom, ya feel me? It’s my life over those Crackers’ lives.”

    McCray and the Brentons were longtime neighbors on V.C. Johnson Road, and seemingly friends. McCray's little brother Dakarai Maxwell, who police say wielded the AK-47 that killed Brenton, was a childhood playmate of Josie Brenton. She testified she and Maxwell attended Garden City Elementary School together and were “best friends.” Her mother, Venus Brenton, testified that she called Maxwell "Dee" or “son” and called McCray “Cory.” Both men visited the Brentons' home.

    But that relationship soured in September 2014, after Maxwell and McCray were caught on surveillance video burglarizing the Brenton’s home. That case was set for trial the day Joe Brenton was killed. That morning, around 2:45 a.m., someone knocked loudly on their door. Brenton answered and was instantly shot multiple times, in his head, chest and arms.

    “It was a lot. A lot of shots,” testified Josie Brenton, who was 17 at the time. “I screamed, ran to my room, hid under the blanket and called 911.”

    The 911 call, an agonizing 10 minutes, was played for the jury in its entirety. While waiting for rescue to arrive, Josie Brenton can be heard describing her father’s injuries and attempting chest compressions, even as blood poured from a gaping chest wound. As the call played, she reached down several times to pat emotional support dog seated next to her on the witness stand.

    "Attempted CPR, couldn’t proceed,” she told prosecutor Joel Cooper. Asked why, she responded, “His mouth was clenched shut and I was pretty sure he had brain matter in his mouth.”

    McCray’s defense attorney Michael Bossen acknowledged the 911 call was wrenching to hear. “You’ll remember [it] forever,” he told jurors. “It breeds deep, heartfelt emotion. Sympathy. Empathy.” But he encouraged jurors not to let their verdict to be guided by feelings.

    “You may not like Jecorian McCray, based on the things that he said. You may find him despicable. You may find him putrid. You might find him hateful. But your emotions about the case, your feelings about the case, are not legal reasons to convict somebody.”

    Bossen emphasized that the crime was physically carried out by someone else. “All you hear from Jecorian McCray are words, no actions.”

    Since his arrest, McCray has been arrested an additional five times in jail on charges ranging from attempted escape, to battery, to lewd and lascivious conduct. Those cases are pending.

    The guilt phase of the death penalty trial could conclude Friday. If McCray is convicted, the penalty phase will continue into next week.

    https://www.firstcoastnews.com/artic...9-01ca006a95eb
    "I realize this may sound harsh, but as a father and former lawman, I really don't care if it's by lethal injection, by the electric chair, firing squad, hanging, the guillotine or being fed to the lions."
    - Oklahoma Rep. Mike Christian

    "There are some people who just do not deserve to live,"
    - Rev. Richard Hawke

    “There are lots of extremely smug and self-satisfied people in what would be deemed lower down in society, who also deserve to be pulled up. In a proper free society, you should be allowed to make jokes about absolutely anything.”
    - Rowan Atkinson

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    Jecorian McCray Found Guilty

    By Office of State Attorney for Florida's 4th Circuit

    OUTCOME: A jury has found Jecorian McCray guilty of First-Degree Murder, Conspiracy to Commit Murder, and Tampering with a Witness in the 2016 killing of Joe Brenton. The sentencing portion of the trial begins Monday.

    https://twitter.com/SAO4Florida
    "I realize this may sound harsh, but as a father and former lawman, I really don't care if it's by lethal injection, by the electric chair, firing squad, hanging, the guillotine or being fed to the lions."
    - Oklahoma Rep. Mike Christian

    "There are some people who just do not deserve to live,"
    - Rev. Richard Hawke

    “There are lots of extremely smug and self-satisfied people in what would be deemed lower down in society, who also deserve to be pulled up. In a proper free society, you should be allowed to make jokes about absolutely anything.”
    - Rowan Atkinson

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    Jury spares death sentence for Jacksonville man found guilty of ordering a hit on UNF employee

    He was found guilty of first degree murder, conspiracy to commit murder, and tampering with a witness in the 2016 killing of Joe Brenton last week

    By First Coast News Staff

    A jury decided Monday to spare a man from the death sentence after he was found guilty of ordering a hit on UNF employee.

    The penalty phase in the death penalty trial for a Jacksonville man found guilty of murder in the death of a UNF employee started Monday.

    A jury voted 12 to 0 for life in prison instead of the death sentence for Jecorian McCray.

    He was found guilty of first degree murder, conspiracy to commit murder, and tampering with a witness in the 2016 killing of Joe Brenton last week.

    McCray, 28, was in jail when he allegedly ordered his then 17-year-old stepbrother to shoot down Brenton in his own home.

    Brenton was set to testify in McCray's burglary trial the day he was killed.

    Last Wednesday, prosecutors called the phone conversations between McCray and his stepbrother Dakarai Maxwell a confession. The defense countered, saying McCray did not pull the trigger.

    Brenton's wife and daughter also testified in the death penalty case, following testimony from an officer who responded to the call. Brenton's daughter, Josie, said she and Maxwell and McCray were all friends. Maxwell is accused of shooting her father over 16 times, according to the prosecution.

    Since his arrest, McCray has been arrested an additional five times in jail for charges including battery, attempted escape and lewd and lascivious acts.

    https://www.firstcoastnews.com/artic...c-677699dbc0c0
    "I realize this may sound harsh, but as a father and former lawman, I really don't care if it's by lethal injection, by the electric chair, firing squad, hanging, the guillotine or being fed to the lions."
    - Oklahoma Rep. Mike Christian

    "There are some people who just do not deserve to live,"
    - Rev. Richard Hawke

    “There are lots of extremely smug and self-satisfied people in what would be deemed lower down in society, who also deserve to be pulled up. In a proper free society, you should be allowed to make jokes about absolutely anything.”
    - Rowan Atkinson

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    Senior Member CnCP Addict maybeacomedian's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Helen View Post
    Jury spares death sentence for Jacksonville man found guilty of ordering a hit on UNF employee

    He was found guilty of first degree murder, conspiracy to commit murder, and tampering with a witness in the 2016 killing of Joe Brenton last week

    ...................


    McCray, 28, was in jail when he allegedly ordered his then 17-year-old stepbrother to shoot down Brenton in his own home.

    ..................
    This dude needs the Death Penalty. He has proven that he's still a danger to society even while incarcerated in gen pop.

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    I find it hard to believe all 12 jurors voted for life. Something’s not right here
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    Man sentenced to life in prison in 2016 shooting death of UNF employee

    By Frank Powers
    WJXT News4JAX

    JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A man found guilty of first-degree murder for orchestrating a jailhouse hit was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole, court records show.

    Jecorian McCray was also found guilty in May of conspiracy to commit murder and tampering with a witness, victim or informant.

    McCray, 28, is guilty in the 2016 shooting death of University of North Florida information technology engineer Joe Brenton.

    The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office responded to the homicide call on Sept. 21, 2016, where Brenton was found dead of several gunshot wounds. Investigators determined that McCray, who was in jail and through jail calls ordered his brother, Dakarai Maxwell, to kill Brenton.

    According to investigators, the order against Brenton was due to Brenton’s scheduled testimony against McCray and Maxwell in a related burglary case in which the brothers were suspected of breaking into Brenton’s home and were caught on surveillance cameras.

    Maxwell was set for trial this week, but it’s been passed until October. Meantime, defense lawyers have asked for a trauma expert to conduct a confidential examination of Maxwell, and the judge granted that request.

    https://www.news4jax.com/news/local/...-unf-employee/

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