The accused shooter in the Florida Home Depot murder was found guilty of first-degree premeditated murder Wednesday afternoon, according to reports.
A jury found 20-year-old Keith Agee guilty of the charge in the fatal shooting of 18-year-old Brooklyn Sims — the mother of his 2-year-old daughter.
Agee received a mandatory life sentence without parole.
The shooting happened on Aug. 11 inside the Home Depot on Davis Highway, where Sims was working as a contract employee. Agee entered the store, confronted Sims in an aisle and shot her seven times, killing her on scene.
He was arrested a short time later outside Mellow Mushroom on Bayou Boulevard after calling police.
The sheriff’s office released text messages between Agee and his mother Sheila Agee — who is also charged with first-degree premeditated murder — leading up to the shooting. Authorities said the texts show Agee headed to the Home Depot that day to kill Sims — and that his mother helped coordinate the killing.
Agee took the stand in his trial on Tuesday in an attempt to dispute the premeditated murder charge, testifying that he didn’t initially head to Home Depot to kill Sims.
Agee said he had received a positive test result for an STD just days after being intimate with Sims.
On stand, he admitted to leaving work on Aug. 11, going home to get his gun and then driving 90 minutes from Alabama to the Escambia County Home Depot.
Agee said he entered the store, confronted Sims about the STD, and only became enraged when she turned her back and began to walk away from him — which is why he says he shot her.
Following the verdict Wednesday, the state submitted a final piece of evidence to the judge showing Sims did not have an STD.
State Attorney Bridgette Myers Jensen provided documents showing text messages from Sheila Agee’s phone between her and Sims. In a text, Sims sent Sheila Agee a picture from a doctors appointment on Aug. 5 confirming that she didn’t have an STD.
“I know in the grand scheme of things it doesn’t matter,” Jensen said. “But we just wanted to give Miss Sims a little bit of dignity.”
The judge then commented on the entire case, as well as the new evidence.
“This was the textbook definition of premeditated murder because you got mad and blamed her for something, in disgusting irony, that wasn’t even her fault,” he said. “And if you had taken any time to think about it, you would have found that out.”
Agee also spoke following the verdict, expressing his regret and sorrow.
“I would like to apologize to the family. I can’t ask for forgiveness. I can’t ask not to hate me,” he said. “I just want her [mother] to know that through our past relationship and things that have happened, I’m grateful to have had [Brooklyn] in my life. The things she has done for me has not went without consideration in my heart. I think about Brooklyn every night. Every night before I go to sleep, I pray for Kacey and Brooklyn. Regret is an understatement. If I can reverse the roles, I would take Brooklyn’s place. I have to live with this decision for the rest of my life and I have accepted that. I just hate the fact her family has to go through this.”
Sims’ mother Cornelia Sims spoke as well.
“August 11th changed my life,” she said. “I lost my daughter. Her siblings lost a sister. She was an auntie. She was a friend. She was an amazing child. She didn’t deserve this. I don’t hate Mr. Agee, but I can’t forgive him. I’m raising his daughter. That day, Kacey lost a mother, a father and a grandmother.”
Sheila Agee remains in Escambia County Jail on her first-degree premeditated murder charge. She is expected back in court in February.
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