Two Sanford brothers were convicted by a jury Tuesday of killing a DeLand man after what was supposed to be a slap box fight between friends escalated into a bloody fist fight.
Sylvester “Goon” Simmons, 32, and his brother, Jeremy “Sleepy” Taylor, 22, were each found guilty of first-degree murder, attempted first-degree murder and shooting into an occupied vehicle.
Circuit Judge Raul Zambrano sentenced each one to mandatory life in prison after the jury reached its verdict at the Volusia County Courthouse in DeLand.
Simmons and Taylor killed Preston Reed, a 22-year-old father of two from DeLand, on Nov. 9, 2014.
But they were actually trying to kill Reed’s brother-in-law, Kiwon Jones, according to prosecutors Ryan Will and Jeanne Stratis.
Jones testified during the trial that he and Simmons were friends. They were hanging out talking about their fighting abilities that November day when they decided to have a slap box fight. But it turned into a fistfight. Jones said he left Simmons with a bloody face. Young women witnessed the fight.
Jones said he decided to stop fighting and went inside an apartment. But Jones testified that Simmons kept wanting to fight and showed him a gun while threatening to kill him if he didn't.
Jones said he left and later was told by someone else that Simmons was no longer upset.
That was not the case.
Later that day, Simmons was driving an SUV with Taylor in the passenger seat when they spotted Jones and Reed in Reed’s Ford Focus. Simmons and Taylor started chasing Jones and Reed, who was driving the Focus.
Reed tried to get away but could not shake them. Simmons drove the SUV while Taylor hung out the window and started shooting at them with a pistol.
Jones said he heard one of the shots shatter glass. The bullet hit Reed in the head, killing him. Reed’s car came to a stop near East New York and Amelia avenues.
Defense attorneys tried to sow doubt about Jones' testimony.
Simmons’ defense attorney, Darryl Smith, had argued that no one ever saw his client fire a gun.
Taylor’s defense attorney, F. Wesley “Buck” Blankner, questioned Jones about ducking down in the car as the shots were being fired, suggesting that Jones could not see who was shooting.
Blankner also asked Jones whether he was angry at Simmons and wanted to implicate his brother. Jones said others had brought up Taylor's name.