McCray Guilty of First-Degree Murder for Orchestrating Jailhouse Hit

State Attorney Melissa Nelson announces that Jecorian McCray was found guilty by a jury of First-Degree Murder, Conspiracy to Commit Murder, and Tampering with a Witness, Victim, or Informant. Following the sentencing portion of the trial, the jury determined McCray should be sentenced to mandatory life in Florida State Prison. The Honorable Tatiana Salvador will formally sentence McCray during a future hearing.

In the early morning hours of Sept. 21, 2016, members of the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office responded to Northside home in reference to a homicide. The victim, Joe Brenton, was found dead in his home
from several gunshot wounds. The investigation revealed that McCray — who was in jail at the time
and through jail calls — ordered his brother, Dakarai Maxwell, to kill Brenton. 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 committing the act. During the jail calls, McCray made several mentions of the upcoming burglary trial and his need to have Brenton eliminated as a witness before being able to
testify against him. McCray and Maxwell were both arrested for the murder and related crimes.

The case was investigated by the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office and prosecuted by Assistant State Attorneys Joel Cooper and Alan Mizrahi.