A prison releasee reoffender committed armed robbery in Central Florida, pointing a gun to the neck of his victim and threatening to shoot her.
After a full-day trial last week, a Volusia County jury found defendant Lee Kennedy guilty as charged of Robbery with a Firearm. Immediately following the verdict, the defendant was sentenced to life in prison as a prison releasee reoffender.
On March 6, 2024, a woman was walking to her vehicle parked outside of a bank on International Speedway Boulevard in Daytona Beach.
Kennedy then approached the victim and grabbed her purse. When the defendant pointed a gun to her neck and threatened to shoot, the victim attempted to get away and Kennedy took off with the purse.
A description of the defendant was confirmed through multiple witnesses and video surveillance. Daytona Beach Police Officers then found Kennedy in a wooded area near the bank and arrested him. The victim’s purse was also recovered.
The defendant committed this crime not even nine months after being released from prison on June, 26, 2023, following a 15-year sentence for Robbery.
The case was investigated by the Daytona Beach Police Department. Assistant State Attorneys Helen Schwartz and Nancy Simpson successfully tried the case for the state. The Honorable Elizabeth Blackburn presided over the case and pronounced sentence.
