On January 30, 2025, 41-year-old Marvin Ellison Jr. was convicted of First-degree Murder after a trial for his involvement in the 2022 shooting death of 31-year-old Antwain Jamar Hart. Ellison was sentenced to Life in the Florida Department of Corrections by Judge James R. Baxley following the guilty verdict.
Ellison’s conviction follows the sentencing of his co-defendant, Undray Benson, who was also found guilty of First-degree Murder and sentenced to Life just one week earlier. A third defendant, Deandre Anderson, pleaded guilty to Principal to Murder in the Second-degree with a Firearm on January 27, 2025, and was sentenced to 35 years in prison.
The crime occurred on November 8, 2022, when Umatilla Police officers responded to a shooting on Merrell Avenue, where Hart was discovered with multiple gunshot wounds in his mother’s front yard. Witnesses reported seeing a white Mercedes near the scene of the crime. Upon investigating, authorities found shell casings and Hart’s phone, and his rental vehicle was later discovered abandoned at a nearby church.
The Lake County Sheriff’s Office assisted with the investigation and identified a 2015-2017 Mercedes Benz CLS rented by Ellison, which was captured on surveillance footage near the crime scene. Phone records showed a route consistent with the victim’s vehicle and the crime scene, further linking Ellison to the murder.
Surveillance footage also revealed three individuals unloading items from the Mercedes at an apartment leased by a family member of Benson, connected to “Dray’s Spot Detailing.” Anderson was seen assisting in the unloading. Later, the vehicle was retrieved by Anderson’s girlfriend driving a Chevrolet Impala. A search of the apartment uncovered illegal drugs and a 9mm handgun that matched the weapon used in the murder.
The investigation pointed to a planned robbery involving narcotics, with the three defendants collaborating to kill Hart. The prosecution, led by Assistant State Attorneys Gabriel Lozano and Nicholas Camuccio, successfully presented the case, resulting in Ellison’s conviction.
Walter Forgie, Chief Assistant State Attorney, emphasized the significance of the sentences handed down to the defendants, stating, “The prosecution of these three defendants and the court’s sentences make it clear that murderers will be held accountable to the greatest extent possible. Our office hopes these substantial sentences bring closure to an exceptionally tragic chapter for the victim’s family.”
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