Duval County Jury Finds Ferguson Guilty of First-Degree Murders

State Attorney Melissa Nelson announces that a Duval County jury found Trayvon Ferguson guilty of two counts of First-Degree Murder, Armed Robbery, and Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon. With the verdict, Ferguson faces a mandatory life sentence in Florida State Prison. The Honorable Anthony Salem will formally sentence Ferguson at a later date.

On Sept. 18, 2023, first-responders from the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office and Jacksonville Fire and Rescue responded to Harrold Avenue to find a car engulfed in flames; JFRD put out the fire and discovered two victims dead inside. Officers found shell casings next to the car and multiple bullet holes to the driver’s side of the vehicle and exit holes on the passenger side. Debris on scene and red paint transferred on the victim’s car hinted at another car involved. A nearby camera captured a red sedan speeding on Harrold Ave. at the time of the shooting. Officers identified Ferguson as the suspect, and they tracked the red car — which was owned by his girlfriend — and found damage consistent with the debris they found on scene. Cell site data confirmed Ferguson was in the area of the murders at the time of the crime. On a recorded jail call between Ferguson and a family member on Sept. 19, Ferguson talked about an incident the night before and said it was on the news. Ferguson texted the news article of the murders to the inmate’s girlfriend. Ferguson’s girlfriend, post-Miranda, confirmed to officers that she was in the car with Ferguson on Sept. 18 when they went to buy marijuana. She described Ferguson getting his gun ready, and when he walked up to the victim’s car to buy drugs, they got into an argument and Ferguson fired several rounds.

The case was investigated by the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office and prosecuted by Assistant State Attorneys Kelli Shobe, Erin Wolfson, and Elizabeth Brown.