Boynton murder: Prosecutors make a deal with one gunman to help pin down the other
WEST PALM BEACH — Jarrod Bozeman Jr. greeted his killers, poised for their usual exchange. He met a volley of gunfire instead.The 2018 murder outside of a Boynton Beach home triggered several investigations — first by city police, then FBI agents, then city police again after charges against two suspected killers fizzled out in federal court. This week, state prosecutors struck a deal with one gunman to help pin down another.Tevin Laing pleaded guilty Wednesday to second-degree murder with a firearm — a lesser offense than the first-degree murder charge he initially faced — for the promise of a 15- to 25-year prison sentence. In exchange, he agreed to testify against his co-defendant, Samson Hyland Jr., in Hyland's upcoming murder trial.If he doesn't hold up his end of the bargain or lies on the witness stand, the deal disappears, said Assistant State Attorney Chrichet Mixon.Family and friends of Jarrod Jermaine Bozeman Jr. released balloons and butterflies at his grave at Boynton Beac
WEST PALM BEACH — Jarrod Bozeman Jr. greeted his killers, poised for their usual exchange. He met a volley of gunfire instead.
The 2018 murder outside of a Boynton Beach home triggered several investigations — first by city police, then FBI agents, then city police again after charges against two suspected killers fizzled out in federal court. This week, state prosecutors struck a deal with one gunman to help pin down another.
Tevin Laing pleaded guilty Wednesday to second-degree murder with a firearm — a lesser offense than the first-degree murder charge he initially faced — for the promise of a 15- to 25-year prison sentence. In exchange, he agreed to testify against his co-defendant, Samson Hyland Jr., in Hyland's upcoming murder trial.
If he doesn't hold up his end of the bargain or lies on the witness stand, the deal disappears, said Assistant State Attorney Chrichet Mixon.
Laing hasn't shied away from blaming Hyland in the past. When questioned by police, Laing initially said he drove Hyland to Bozeman's house on Dec. 2, 2018, to conduct a drug deal and was shocked when Hyland suddenly began shooting. Later, he said he fired shots, too, because he "felt pressured into killing him."
Hyland accused Laing of being first to open fire. Bozeman owed Laing money, Hyland said, and he "needed to answer for it." When Laing's gun jammed, Hyland said Laing grabbed Hyland's weapon and continued firing.
One bullet struck Bozeman in the hip. He stumbled to the ground as Laing and Hyland fled in a black Chevrolet Camaro. Witnesses and nearby traffic cameras helped police tracked the car back to Laing, as did several calls placed from his cellphone to 24-year-old Bozeman's on the night of the shooting.
Laing, 31, pleaded guilty to felony possession of a firearm Wednesday in addition to the murder charge. Palm Beach County Sheriff's deputies have pressed several additional charges against Hyland for his purported behavior in jail while he awaits his trial, including allegedly sneaking a shank into the jail and masturbating in front of corrections officers.
In a letter to one judge, the 27-year-old described struggling mentally since childhood and expressed frustration with the lack of control and input he felt he had over his criminal case. His trial is scheduled to begin Jan. 26.
Hannah Phillips is a journalist covering public safety and criminal justice at The Palm Beach Post. You can reach her at [email protected].
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Prosecutors convict one of two men suspected of killing Boynton man in 2018
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