As a jury prepared to enter the courtroom and hear the case against her Tuesday, Sharmana Garrett pled No Contest to Attempted Second Degree Murder and was sentenced to 15 years in prison, State Attorney Larry Basford said.
Jurors were released by Circuit Judge Brantley Clark, who thanked them for their willingness to serve and explained the importance of their role even without a trial.
“This plea doesn’t happen today if there wasn’t a jury ready to hear the case,” he told them.
Prosecutor Frank Sullivan was prepared to call witnesses and provide evidence proving the defendant tracked the victim down following an argument and fired four shots into his truck, striking him once.
“We want people to understand you cannot escalate an argument or disturbance by retrieving a firearm and turning it into a potentially deadly situation,” Sullivan said. “We had a strong case with the work of the Panama City Police Department. But I think this plea was in the best interest of all involved, including the victim, who was in agreement.”
Sullivan and Prosecutor JP Ferreira were prepared to prove that the defendant and the victim had been dating for about 2 years when they got into a domestic situation Jan. 23, 2021. The victim left the Everitt Avenue residence in his truck.
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The defendant retrieved a pistol from inside the home. She and her son got into her car and found the victim in his truck a few blocks away. Both vehicles stopped and the defendant fired four shots into the victim’s truck from behind, hitting the victim once in the back.
The victim drove away and sought medical help. The son later pled to Tampering with Evidence and was put on probation.
Basford thanked the Panama City Police Department for its handling of the two scenes and putting together a strong case.
For more information, contact Mike Cazalas at mike.cazalas@sa14.fl.gov, or call 850-381-7454.