Two Teens Convicted of Murder in 2024 Sanford Killing of Orlando Man Selling Headphones on OfferUp

A Seminole County jury has convicted two young men of first-degree felony murder and attempted robbery with a firearm in the July 2024 shooting death of Brandon Leo, a 22-year-old Orlando man who drove to Sanford to sell a pair of headphones he had listed on OfferUp. William O. Smith, now 19, and Dra'Shawn D. Williams, now 17, were both juveniles at the time of the killing but were prosecuted as adults. They face up to life in prison when they are sentenced Nov. 13.

The verdict came Friday, Nov. 6, after a five-day trial, according to WFTV. The case was prosecuted by the State Attorney's Office for Florida's 18th Judicial Circuit, which covers Seminole and Brevard counties.

What happened to Brandon Leo

Leo had listed a used pair of Beats wireless headphones for sale on OfferUp, the online marketplace app, according to the State Attorney's Office account reported by WKMG and WFTV. Believing he was meeting a buyer, he drove to a vacant home in Sanford on July 20, 2024.

When Leo arrived, prosecutors said, Smith and Williams approached him and tried to rob him at gunpoint. Leo tried to escape by backing his Toyota pickup out of the driveway, and shots were fired at the truck. The pickup crashed into a nearby retention pond, where Leo was found dead from gunshot wounds.

Sanford police reported at the time that the shooting happened along West 3rd Street near Pomegranate Avenue. Officers found Leo shot inside the truck, which was partially submerged in the retention pond and still in reverse, WFTV reported in August 2024. Police said at least two people Leo did not know had walked up to his truck as he waited in the driveway.

Investigators recovered seven shell casings and the headphones outside the vacant house, according to the State Attorney's Office.

The arrests and indictment

Police responded to a report of shots fired around 9:30 p.m. that night, according to WKMG's 2024 coverage, and Sanford police later described the killing as senseless. Investigators had two suspects in custody within about five weeks.

Williams, then 15, was arrested Aug. 21, 2024. He was already in custody on an unrelated charge when Sanford police obtained a warrant charging him with first-degree murder, WFTV reported. Smith, then 17, was arrested without incident on Aug. 27, 2024, on a warrant for first-degree felony murder, according to police statements reported by WKMG.

A Seminole County grand jury then indicted both teens on first-degree felony murder and attempted robbery with a firearm, and the State Attorney's Office announced it would prosecute both as adults. WKMG reported the indictment on Sept. 12, 2024, and said the office cited the seriousness of the crime.

The indictment is what moved the case out of juvenile court. Under section 985.56 of the Florida Statutes, a child of any age charged with an offense punishable by death or life imprisonment starts out under juvenile court jurisdiction, but once a grand jury returns an indictment on that charge, the juvenile petition is dismissed and the child "must be tried and handled in every respect as an adult." The same law provides that a child found guilty of the indicted capital or life offense shall be sentenced as an adult.

Early reports in 2024 described the headphones as AirPods. The State Attorney's Office account of the trial, as reported by WKMG and WFTV, identifies them as Beats wireless headphones.

Case timeline

The key dates in the case, drawn from police, prosecutors and news reports:

The evidence at trial

Prosecutors presented neighborhood security video that captured the shooting, according to WFTV. They also introduced evidence drawn from cellphones and online accounts belonging to Leo and to the two defendants, which prosecutors said linked Smith and Williams to the crime.

Assistant State Attorneys Richard Babcock, Jacob Polk and Cody Vincitore tried the case, WFTV reported.

The jury convicted both defendants on both counts: first-degree felony murder and attempted robbery with a firearm. Under Florida law, a killing committed during an attempted robbery can be prosecuted as first-degree felony murder without proof that the defendant planned the killing in advance.

How sentencing works for juvenile offenders

Because both defendants were under 18 when Leo was killed, their sentencing follows a separate set of rules in Florida law. Under section 775.082 of the Florida Statutes, a person convicted of a capital felony committed before age 18 cannot simply receive an automatic life term. A judge must first hold an individualized sentencing hearing under section 921.1401 and find that life imprisonment is an appropriate sentence.

The statute draws a distinction based on each defendant's role. For a juvenile offender who actually killed, intended to kill or attempted to kill the victim, the judge may impose life after that hearing; if the court decides life is not appropriate, the sentence must be at least 40 years. A juvenile offender who did not kill or intend to kill may receive life or a term of years equal to life. The court must determine in writing whether each defendant actually killed, intended to kill or attempted to kill the victim, and it may make that finding for more than one defendant.

Those findings also control when an offender may ask a judge to review the sentence. WFTV reported that because Smith and Williams were juveniles at the time of the offense, they may be eligible for a sentence review after 25 years. Which review schedule applies to each defendant will depend on the judge's findings.

What's next

Smith and Williams are scheduled to be sentenced Nov. 13 in Seminole County. Before imposing sentence, the judge is required by state law to hold the juvenile sentencing hearing and make written findings about each defendant's role in the shooting. Both face a maximum of life in prison on the murder conviction.