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Davis Islands attack: Teens appear in court after being charged as adults

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Published  February 21, 2025 7:41pm EST
Tampa
FOX 13 News

Teens allegedly involved in dog park beating appear in court

FOX 13's Aaron Mesmer reports.

The Brief

    • Five teenagers appeared in Hillsborough County court after they were charged with attempted first-degree murder following an attack that left another teen unconscious.
    • Cell phone video of the attack at a dog park in Davis Islands last week helped identify the suspects.
    • They were all charged as adults and also face upgraded charges in the case.

TAMPA, Fla. - Five teenagers appeared in Hillsborough County court on Friday after they were charged with attempted first-degree murder following an attack at a Tampa dog park that left another teenager unconscious.

Owen Callahan, 17; Jacob Ely, 17; Joseph Gesuale, 16; Jace Villanueva, 16; and Grayson Shearer, 15, were all in court after the Hillsborough State Attorney's Office announced it was charging them all with attempted murder. Orian Robinson, 18, was also arrested in the brutal attack but is not charged with attempted murder.

RELATED: Davis Islands dog park attack: Teen suspects facing upgraded charges as adults

The backstory:

The Tampa Police Department said they used cell phone video of the attack, which occurred February 13 at Davis Island Dog Park, to help identify the suspects. Investigators said Ely can be seen on the video throwing a rock at the victim's truck and at the victim's head. He was the only one initially facing that charge following his arrest last week. 

What they're saying:

Ely's attorney, Danny Hernandez, indicated he believes the attempted murder charge is wrong.

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"The victim did get severely beaten, but not by my client," Hernandez said. "My client is seen with a rock in his left hand, which he's left-handed, then not doing anything with the rock, then later on there is something in his right hand. It would appear to be some object, a rock or whatever and he drops it. There's no video that I've been presented that shows he ever flung it at the victim."

Attorneys for the other underage defendants didn't say much about their clients' cases, because the hearings were delayed until Saturday. Prosecutors needed to file updated criminal report affidavits that match the upgraded charges.

PREVIOUS: Davis Islands attack: Social media message reveals threats, racist comments from victim to one of the suspects

Local perspective:

In a recorded statement released Thursday, Hillsborough State Attorney Suzy Lopez said she plans to prosecute all the suspects as adults.

Investigators have previously said the fight, which occurred following a bonfire near the park, stemmed from a dispute earlier in the week. An anonymous viewer shared a social media message filled with threats and racial slurs that was supposedly sent by the victim to at least one of the suspected attackers. 

The victim did not respond to a request for comment.

The Source: The information in this story was gathered during the teens' court appearance on Friday as well as previous reports. 

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