The man who opened fire on a car carrying four people, killing the driver, during a road rage incident last year was sentenced to spend the rest of his life in prison Friday, State Attorney Larry Basford announced.
Jubal Simmons, 24, was given Life for Second Degree Murder, Life for Attempted Second Degree Murder with a Weapon, 30 years each on two counts of Attempted Second Degree Murder with a Weapon, 15 years each on two counts of Shooting into an Occupied Vehicle, and 15 years for Discharging a Firearm from a Vehicle. Circuit Court Judge Timothy Register ordered that the sentences be served consecutively, or one after the other.
Co-defendant Ivybella Encino, 22, was sentenced to 15 years each on Accessory After the Fact and Fleeing and Attempting to Elude, with those sentences running concurrently, or at the same time. Her prison time will be followed by 5 years’ probation.
The two were tried together by Prosecutors Frank Sullivan and Laurie Hughes in January for the Feb. 22, 2025 road rage shooting at U.S. 231 and Harrison Avenue that killed Georgeann Garner and critically injured her 19-year-old daughter. Two other passengers in the vehicle were not injured by any of the 11 shots.
“We hope these guilty verdicts and sentences send a message not only that gun violence will not be tolerated, but that brazen acts of violence that put innocent people in harm’s way deserve the toughest sentences,” Sullivan said. “While the man who pulled the trigger is set to die in prison, this affected so many families who will have to live with the consequences the rest of their lives – all because the defendants were upset over a traffic situation and resorted to violence.
“What happened in this case is a tragedy every way you look at it, and with Spring Break and the influx of visitors for summer vacations fast approaching, this case is a stark reminder that a little patience with traffic goes a long way, and nothing good ever comes from road rage.”
The surviving shooting victim spoke at sentencing about how instead of celebrating her mother’s birthday that day, she lay in the backseat with a gunshot wound as her mother died in front of her.
“You did not just pull a trigger, you destroyed lives,” she said. “You murdered my mother – the woman who gave me life, who loved fiercely, who was my safety and my home.
“Because of you, she is gone forever,” the surviving victim said. She will never laugh again, never hold my hand again, never hear me call her name. Her life ended violently because of your choice.”
She told Judge Register about the stroke she suffered after the shooting, and how she, her brother and their family were robbed of a lifetime of memories.
“Our mama mattered. Our lives mattered,” she said. “And the consequences of what you did will last forever.”
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The shooting took place after an altercation between a passenger in the car and Encino. The altercation had ended and everyone was back in their vehicles when Encino’s boyfriend Simmons opened fire. Encino was driving and fled the scene, but the two were captured about a mile north of where the shooting occurred after a police chase.
Basford thanked Panama City police for their work both on reacting to the shooting and its follow up investigation.
For more information, contact Mike Cazalas at mike.cazalas@sa14.fl.gov, or call 850-381-7454.
The evidence included 29 pages of handwritten letters from the defendant to the victim – found by the victim’s mother when she became suspicious of Stuart – in which he professed his “love” for the student.
