CASE UPDATE: Johnny Evans, 23, Sarasota, pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 35 years in prison in a Sarasota County courtroom on July 24, 2023.

Shortly after midnight on Thursday, January 6, 2022, Evans shot and killed a man outside of Moore’s Grocery, 1993 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Way, Sarasota. Evans shot the victim twice and then he fled in his father’s 1997 Toyota Camry. Later that day, Evans fled to Mississippi in a rental car, where he evaded law enforcement for approximately two months. Detectives worked the case by following the evidence and tracking down every possible lead that resulted in the arrest of Evans on February 25, 2022, with the assistance of the U.S. Marshals Service.

On July 14, 2023, Evans had a Stand Your Ground hearing before Judge Dana Moss. The ruling resulted in a jury trial set to start on July 24, 2023. However, that morning in court, Evans pleaded guilty to murder and was sentenced to 35 years in prison.