State Attorney Ed Brodsky announced today that Demetrius Gabriel was convicted after jury trial of Murder In The First Degree. The crime was committed on 12/15/2017 and investigated by the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office. The trial was held at the Manatee County Courthouse 3/24/25-3/26/25.
The homicide occurred at Spot 26 nightclub at 4307 26th Street West just off of Cortez Road in Bradenton. For reasons that are still unknown, the defendant, already inside the club, waited near the front door for the victim to enter. He stood near the front door watching for some time and when the victim started to enter, he drew a gun from his waistband, walked up to the victim, and shot him in the face. After the victim fell to the floor, the defendant walked calmly out of the club still holding the murder weapon.
Most of the incident was captured on surveillance video but the identity of the shooter was still unknown. Ultimately police were able to identify a possible suspect but needed to confirm his identity. They were able to do this through fingerprints that Gabriel left on a cup he was drinking from at the bar. An arrest warrant was issued, but the defendant remained on-the-run for close to 5 years while using another identity. He was ultimately found after he was arrested in Miami on unrelated charges using this false identity. The defendant was released from Federal prison less than 2 years prior to this shooting and was still on probation at the time of this shooting.
The defendant was sentenced to Life in prison without parole.
The lead prosecutor in the case, Assistant State Attorney Suzanne O’Donnell, commented,
“Thanks to the keen eye of law enforcement this case was solved. Both lead detective, Benjamin Main, and crime scene technician, Abby Schmitt, from the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office noticed from the surveillance video that the shooter left a cup on the bar. They protected, preserved, and processed this evidence which led to a confirmation of the defendant’s identity. The family of the deceased victim, Jarvis Isom, has waited a very long time for justice in this case, and we are relieved that they finally received it. We thank the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office for their hard work, and we thank the jury for their attention and consideration of this extremely important case.”
If you have any questions or would like further information, please contact Assistant State Attorney (ASA) in the Sarasota County office at 941-861-4400.