Teen’s trial in fatal shooting begins Monday

The Palmetto teen charged with murder in the 2015 fatal shooting of another teen will stand trial beginning Monday.

Jamari Lamon Murray-Barnes, 19, is charged with second-degree murder with a firearm in the death of 16-year-old Justin Fabien.

Early on Aug. 10, 2015, Bradenton police were called to the 1200 block of 21st Street East in Bradenton to reports of gunfire. When they arrived, officers found Fabien lying on the sidewalk with gunshot wounds to his upper body.

An earlier robbery may have been the motive for the shooting, police said.

The trial is set to begin at 9 a.m. Monday with jury selection.

McDonald trial may begin

In an unrelated case, the trial of Terry “Boo-Man” McDonald may also get underway on Monday with jury selection.

McDonald, 24, is charged with second-degree murder in the fatal shooting of Robert Eugene Brewer, 22, on Jan. 20.

Deputies were called to the 2300 block of First Avenue East in Palmetto to reports of a shooting and found Brewer suffering from multiple gunshot wounds, according to the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office. Brewer was pronounced dead at the scene.

McDonald was identified as the shooter by an eyewitness at the scene.

Brewer was arrested and charged in March 2016 with second-degree murder in the Dec. 19, 2015, fatal shooting of Kevin McCants. The State Attorney’s Office later dropped the charges after some of the witnesses had recanted their initial statements.

Brewer had also been a suspect in other homicides, according to homicide detectives, and McDonald also was well known to investigators.

This story was originally published October 8, 2017 at 4:28 PM with the headline "Teen’s trial in fatal shooting begins Monday."