WEST PALM BEACH — A 30-year-old Riviera Beach man has received a life sentence after a jury found him guilty in the 2023 murder of a man outside a gas station.
Jurors convicted Deandre Burgess on a charge of first-degree murder on July 17 following nearly a week of trial. Prosecutors said Burgess shot and killed Teavin Reed during a confrontation the night of May 3, 2023, outside the Sunoco gas station on the 400 block of President Barack Obama Highway in Riviera Beach.
Circuit Judge Scott Suskauer immediately sentenced Burgess to life in prison.
A second charge against Burgess of being a felon in possession of a firearm was set for a separate hearing in August, court records show. Riviera Beach police investigators said Reed, 31, was walking toward the gas station's convenience store on the night in question when Burgess pulled out a handgun and began firing several shots.
Fraud probe: Florida sues Palm Beach County moving companies accused of bait-and-switch scams
A woman told investigators she was driving to the store to drop off food for an employee when Burgess, a former schoolmate, stopped her and requested a ride. The woman said Burgess exited her vehicle when they arrived and remained at the site when she left.
The woman said she saw Burgess later that evening and again gave him a ride. She told investigators Burgess observed a vehicle following them and suspected it may have been a police car. Burgess jumped out of the woman's rented vehicle while it was still moving and fled, police said.
The woman identified Burgess after initially being hesitant to do so.
Julius Whigham II is a criminal justice and public safety reporter for The Palm Beach Post. You can reach him at jwhigham@pbpost.com and follow him on Twitter at @JuliusWhigham . Help support our work: Subscribe today.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Judge imposes sentence on gunman in 2023 shooting at gas station that left man dead
Most Popular
Comments / 0