A Central Florida man was sentenced for a murder in Umatilla.
53-year-old Undray Benson was found guilty of First-degree Murder during a bench trial in the 2022 death of 31-year-old Antwain Jamar Hart. After his conviction, Judge James R. Baxley sentenced Benson to Life in prison as mandated by Florida law.
“The actions of this defendant were calculated, deliberate, and devoid of remorse,” said Chief Assistant State Attorney Walter Forgie. “Justice demands accountability for such actions.”
On November 8, 2022, law enforcement officers with the Umatilla Police Department responded to a shooting on Merrell Ave., where the victim, Antwain, was found shot multiple times in his mother’s front yard. Witnesses reported seeing an unknown white Mercedes near the scene. Shell casings and the victim’s phone were found at the site, and the victim’s rental vehicle was later discovered abandoned at a nearby church.
Officials from the Lake County Sheriff’s Office were called in to assist with the investigation. During which, detectives were able to obtain surveillance footage that revealed a rented 2015-2017 Mercedes Benz CLS, linked to Marvin Ellison, later identified as a co-defendant, in proximity to the incident and the location of the abandoned vehicle. Phone records indicated a route consistent with the crime scene and the victim’s vehicle’s location.
Additional surveillance captured three individuals unloading the white Mercedes into an apartment leased by a family member of defendant Benson, associated with “Dray’s Spot Detailing.” The third co-defendant, Deandre Anderson, was identified through surveillance footage unloading the Mercedes, later picked up by a Chevrolet Impala registered to his girlfriend.
A search warrant conducted at the apartment yielded illegal drugs and a 9mm handgun, which matched the weapon used to kill Hart. The evidence suggested a collaborative effort by the three suspects to murder the victim during a robbery, likely motivated by the presence of illegal narcotics in the victim’s vehicle.
Both co-defendants Deandre Anderson and Marvin Ellison are set to stand trial.
Assistant State Attorneys Gabriel Lozano and Nicholas Camuccio successfully prosecuted this case.
