Nyquan Priester trial: Shooter found guilty of lesser charge in death of rising football star Dylan Jenkins
SARASOTA, Fla. - A Sarasota County jury came back with a verdict in the murder trial of Nyquan Priester.
Priester is accused of shooting and killing rising football star Dylan Jenkins in December 2021. He was facing charges of shooting from a car, second-degree murder and tampering with evidence. Ultimately, the jury found him guilty of the lesser charge of manslaughter. They also found him guilty of discharging a firearm from a vehicle within 1,000 feet of a person. They found him not guilty of tampering with evidence.
Jenkins took his last breath at Ackerman Park during what was meant to be a gathering of friends who were home for Christmas break in 2021.
"I’m asking that you hold him accountable for what he did that night to stick a gun out a window and to fire into a group of people with completely callous disregard of human life," Assistant State Attorney Karen Fraivillig told the jury on Thursday.
Nyquan Priester sits in a Sarasota County courtroom.
Fraivillig said there’s no question Nyquan Priester fired several shots into a large crowd gathered at the park on December 29, 2021.
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"The evidence that you heard from the witnesses in this case and the evidence in this case show that he is the person that killed Dylan Jenkins," Fraivillig explained.
Priester left the party in a car with three other friends. As they pulled away, prosecutors said gunfire came from the car. A bullet hit Jenkins, an unintended victim, in the back, killing the rising football star.
Pictured: Dylan Jenkins
The three others in the car testified on behalf of the state, including Kalvion Turner.
Turner faced a charge of principal to second-degree murder, but took a plea deal in exchange for testifying against Priester.
Priester’s defense attorney said they pegged the wrong person for the crime.
Pictured: Dylan Jenkins
"Is it that so far-fetched to think that maybe one of these witnesses that lack credibility was trying to mislead detectives," said Priester’s defense attorney Omar Abdelghany.
"This is about, are you certain you know what happened that night? Do you know who shot the gun that night?" asked Abdelghany.
Priester will be sentenced at a later date.