Sessions Byrd Found Guilty of Sex Crimes Against a Minor

State Attorney Melissa Nelson announces that a Duval County jury found Sessions Byrd guilty of three counts of Sexual Battery and one count of Lewd or Lascivious Molestation. With the verdict, Byrd faces up to life in Florida State Prison. The Honorable Meredith Charbula will sentence Byrd at a later date.

On Aug. 24, 2024, the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office was notified about a lewd incident that took place at a home in Southwest Jacksonville. The victim, 14 years old at the time of reporting, told a family friend that Sessions had touched her and committed various sexual acts to her numerous times between October 2022 and January 2024 in the Jacksonville home where she once lived. Byrd lived with the victim and her family at the time.

A similarly aged victim in another case in St. Peterburg testified to Byrd’s sexual abuse, with facts and circumstances that nearly mirrored those in the Duval County case.

The case was investigated by the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office and prosecuted by Assistant State Attorneys Giovanna Rivera and Elizabeth McEwan.