Fourth Circuit Grand Jury Indicts 5 for First-Degree Murder

State Attorney Melissa Nelson announces the return by a grand jury of indictments charging five defendants with First-Degree Murder. With the indictments, each defendant faces a sentence of mandatory life in prison, unless the State provides notice of its intent to seek the death penalty, in accordance with Florida law.

“A known criminal gang orchestrated the murder of a witness poised to testify against one of their own,” said State Attorney Melissa Nelson regarding the indictments of Hercules Bowers and Aaron Gregory. “Their actions are an affront to the justice system itself.”

On the indictment returns of Douglas Cercy Jr. and Ray Jones III, Nelson said: “The murder of this elderly man was heinous, atrocious, and particularly cruel.”

The grand jury returned First-Degree Murder charges for:

• Hercules Bowers, S.A. Case No. 17CF038624AD, and Aaron Gregory, S.A. Case No. 17CF047993AD. In addition to First-Degree Murder, Bowers also is charged with Conspiracy to Commit First-Degree Murder (With Gang Enhancements). Gregory also is charged with Conspiracy to Commit First-Degree Murder (With Gang Enhancements) and Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon. According to public documents, Bowers and Gregory were instrumental in the murder of Michael Wright, who witnessed a crime committed by Quintae Hudson in 2014. While incarcerated, Hudson — a high-ranking member of the NeighborHood Bloods Rollin 20s gang — had phone conversations with Bowers in which he requested Wright be killed so he could not testify. Bowers is the regional leader of the NeighborHood Bloods Rollin 20s gang. Bowers facilitated the murder that was executed by Gregory, a NeighborHood Bloods Rollin 20s member who received a promotion in the gang for the murder. Hudson was previously indicted, tried, and sentenced to life in prison.

• Douglas Cercy Jr., S.A. Case No. 17CF020381AD, and Ray Jones III, S.A. Case No. 17CF020353AD. In addition to First-Degree Murder, Cercy and Jones also are charged with Kidnapping with a Weapon, and Armed Robbery with a Firearm or Deadly Weapon. According to public documents, on April 8, 2017, Cercy and Jones kidnapped, robbed, and cut the throat of 86-year-old Melvin Clark. Further investigation revealed they made him withdraw money from an ATM, drove him to a remote location in the woods off U.S. Highway 301, and left him to die after the attack. Cercy and Jones took Clark’s personal property, including his cellphone, wallet, and car, and fled to South Florida. Clark later died as a result of his injuries.

• Breon Hollings, S.A. Case No. 17CF068152AD. In addition to First-Degree Murder, Hollings also is charged with Attempted Armed Robbery and Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon. According to public documents, Hollings on April 20, 2017, murdered Eric White after arranging a transaction near the 5500 block of Amazon Avenue.