State Attorney 18th Circuit FL

Public Information from State Attorney William Scheiner, 18th Judicial Circuit Florida serving Brevard & Seminole Counties

[State Attorney 18th Circuit FL @SA18PIO]

A burglar who faced the death penalty for killing a Palm Bay retiree in his home will instead serve life in prison without parole under a plea agreement supported by the victim’s children.

JUSTIN GIAMBANCO, 34, pled no-contest and was sentenced June 3 for the first-degree murder of Paul Black, 68, and related charges of armed burglary, false imprisonment and grand theft of a firearm from the 2023 robbery. In exchange, Assistant State Attorney Samantha Barrett agreed not to seek the death penalty at trial.

As part of the same agreement, Giambanco also pled no-contest and was found guilty in five other open felony cases in Brevard County that included charges of burglary, aggravated assault, grand theft, written threats to kill, and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.

At the sentencing hearing in Viera, Black’s youngest child, Jennifer Ali, remembered her father as a supportive friend, engineer, musician, and Air Force veteran who “wanted to visit places he hadn’t been to and go to more of his grandchildren’s birthday parties.”

Ali said her family agreed to the plea agreement not out of pity or aversion to the death penalty, but to “end the tragedy” and avoid potentially years more in court with Giambanco.

“You took a lot from my family just by making one selfish decision -- you had no right to take life,” Ali told Giambanco in her victim-impact statement. “You’ll have a long life ahead of you in a small prison cell, and I urge you to use that time to seek forgiveness, repent and build a close relationship with God.”

One of Black’s sons called Palm Bay Police to the victim’s house on NE Palm Drive on April 20, 2023. During a visit to check on his father, the son found Black lying in his bedroom doorway, bound and disfigured. A bloody kitchen knife lay nearby. Black died of multiple blunt-force wounds, punctures and cuts that included a large laceration to his neck, the medical examiner found.

Beneath Black’s body, Palm Bay investigators found an Apple iPhone SE, which they assumed belonged to the victim. Instead, a digital forensic examination of the phone and its contents revealed it belonged to Giambanco, who had just been arrested by Melbourne Police for another burglary.

Inside Giambanco’s Honda sedan, police found prescription bottles belonging to Black along with a handgun, camera, computer equipment, and passports stolen from the victim’s home. In the back seat, a crime scene investigator found a pair of sneakers with a zig-zag pattern on the soles and traces of blood on them. The soles matched a bloody footprint at the murder scene, and the blood later was a match to Black’s.

Giambanco had a long record of local arrests for theft, violence and drug possession. He was free from jail on bond from a past offense when he killed and robbed Black.

The State Attorney’s Office filed notice in June 2023 that it intended to seek the death penalty.

#Brevardcounty #PalmBay #Crime #Lawenforcement

[State Attorney 18th Circuit FL @SA18PIO]

This month: Signs an online romance is a scam. Plus: Don't answer calls from five international area codes. Read, download and share our free monthly consumer-protection newsletter here: https://t.co/wkJu6U8fKK

#Scam #Scamalert #BrevardCounty #SeminoleCounty

[Brevard EOC @BrevardEOC]

5/29/26 8:55 AM | If you find suspected Blue Origin anomaly debris, do not call 911.

Report to the Blue Origin Wreckage Management hotline at 321-222-4355 or by email at [email protected]. Do not attempt to touch or recover debris.

[State Attorney 18th Circuit FL @SA18PIO]

A burglar who rammed a pickup truck into a Lake Mary jewelry store before leading Orlando police on a high-speed chase has been sentenced to 15 years in prison. Seminole County prosecutors convicted LENELL BARNES III in April of burglary of a structure with more than $1,000 in losses -- though he didn't manage to steal any jewelry.

At a hearing May 26, prosecutors successfully argued that Barnes should be sentenced as a Habitual Violent Felony Offender, a designation based on his criminal record that enables longer minimum sentences. Barnes’ prior convictions included aggravated assault, attempted armed robbery, attempted carjacking, and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, records show. Barnes committed the April 2024 jewelry store burglary within five years of his release from prison from a previous offense.

“The conduct of crashing a vehicle into the side of a building to effectuate a burglary is a gross disregard for the safety and sanctity of the community,” Assistant State Attorney Domenick Leo said in a sentencing brief. “Further, leading law enforcement on a high-speed chase on a busy road … is the essence of what the public needs to be protected from.”

Circuit Judge Melanie Chase sentenced Barnes to 15 years in state prison for the burglary and five years for possession of burglary tools. The sentences will run concurrently.

At trial in April, Leo and prosecutors Joan Jean and Niko Smith presented jurors with store security video and testimony from police officers that proved Barnes, 29, was the ski-masked burglar who broke into Casa Leon Jewelers hours after closing. Carrying a hammer and yellow duffel bag, Barnes discovered the jewelry cases had been emptied by store staff, and he quickly fled in the pickup truck.

Lake Mary Police arrived at the store within minutes in response to a store alarm triggered by broken glass and alerted other agencies to be on the lookout for the truck. Orlando Police soon spotted the truck, and Barnes led them on a high-speed chase through Pine Hills before getting out of the vehicle and running on foot.

An Orlando officer testified that as they were pursuing Barnes, he tossed away several items including a yellow duffel bag, a hammer, and a glove the same color the burglar wore in store security video.

#Seminolecounty #LakeMary #Orlando #Crime #Lawenforcement

[State Attorney 18th Circuit FL @SA18PIO]

A Virginia man who threatened in Facebook messages to shoot and kill Brevard County Sheriff Wayne Ivey will be barred from social media during five years of supervised probation. JACOB A. DEVAN, 21, also must work 100 volunteer hours at an animal shelter under a plea agreement approved by the sheriff.

At a May 21 hearing, Devan avoided trial and a possible prison sentence by pleading no-contest to one count of making written or electronic threats to kill and one count of unlawful use of a two-way communication device.

Circuit Judge Steve Henderson pronounced Devan guilty of the two felony charges, prohibiting him from owning firearms in Florida and Virginia. Devan also must complete an anger-management course. He may serve his probation in Virginia.

“If you’re thinking of doing something, you’ll be riding here in a van, shackled – it’s no fun,” Henderson warned Devan.

Evidence prepared by prosecutors included eight threatening Facebook instant messages sent to Ivey from Devan’s account on June 14, 2025. Among them:

“I will kill you and your family.”
“I’ll shoot you till you won’t breathe anymore.”
“I know where you live.”

The Sheriff’s Office obtained an arrest warrant on June 16, and Devan’s mother drove him from the Washington, DC suburbs to Brevard County to turn himself in at the jail. The mother said Devan had been upset by comments the sheriff made during a press conference but was ready to take responsibility for his threats. He was later released on $150,000 bond to await trial.

#Brevardcounty #Florida #crime #sheriff

[State Attorney 18th Circuit FL @SA18PIO]

Indialantic man, 19, indicted by Grand Jury for murdering and dismembering another young man and distributing remains in The Compound area of Palm Bay. How LUCAS S. JONES lured the victim, and what police found in his home: https://t.co/ZFn334crQz

#BrevardCounty #PalmBay #Indialantic #Crime

[State Attorney 18th Circuit FL @SA18PIO]

Victim decries ‘cowardly’ attack on Seminole Wekiva Trail as PATRICK GAMACHE gets 10 years for sexual battery. What she told the court about it -- and how it has impacted her: https://t.co/sTaXfuyaWS

#seminolecounty #crime #lawenforcement

[State Attorney 18th Circuit FL @SA18PIO]

Sanford man sentenced to 25 years in prison for molesting a relative who texted a friend for help and shared details while he still lurked nearby.

A Seminole County jury found RONALD L. JACKSON, 58, guilty as charged on May 5 of lewd or lascivious molestation and sexual battery of a victim between the ages of 12 and 18.

Evidence presented by prosecutors Martine McCarthy and Sarah Mian included screenshots of the instant messages the teenaged victim sent to her friend in June 2024:

“Please get me help.”
“First he started touching on my butt.”
“Den he tried to make me have sex with him.”
“I feel scared.”
“He keeps watching my every move.”

Later, in an interview with Sanford Police investigators, Jackson confessed to the sexual abuse. “Jackson stated he realized she was a child, so he stopped on his own,” an arrest report says.

At a sentencing hearing May 18, Circuit Judge Jessica Recksiedler agreed with a motion by prosecutors and designated Jackson a sexual predator.

#SeminoleCounty #Sanford #Sexoffender #Crime #Lawenforcement

[Seminole County S.O. @SeminoleSO]

May 15 is National Peace Officers Memorial Day. It's part of National Police Week and a time to pay tribute to those who gave their lives in the line of duty. Six SCSO deputies sacrificed their lives while wearing the badge. Please join us as we honor their service.

[State Attorney 18th Circuit FL @SA18PIO]

Your State Attorney was happy to join Gov. Ron DeSantis, Sheriff Wayne Ivey, and other leaders in announcing big drops in fatal drug overdoses in Florida: 42% for opioids and 46% for fentanyl. In Brevard and Seminole counties, our prosecutors have worked closely with law enforcement to catch and convict people who traffic and deal those drugs. We have secured murder indictments against drug dealers whose customers fatally overdosed. And we have worked with the courts to order drug treatment for defendants who need it.

[Ron DeSantis @GovRonDeSantis]

Governor DeSantis Highlights Florida’s Progress in Reducing Opioid Overdose Deaths https://t.co/wBxv8TaCC4

[State Attorney 18th Circuit FL @SA18PIO]

'Justice for Doobie:' Brevard County prosecutors convict PAUL R. HEINEMANN of animal cruelty for stabbing his dog in the eye with scissors. His possible sentence: https://t.co/k3ufvEiWqW

#BrevardCounty #PalmBay #Animalcruelty #crime #lawenforcement

[State Attorney 18th Circuit FL @SA18PIO]

Cocoa man sentenced to 15 years in prison for molesting an adolescent female relative. The evidence prosecutor Jay Fowler assembled that persuaded JUDGE A. MORRISON to change his plea: https://t.co/FTfyGevbhT

#Brevardcounty #Cocoa #Crime #lawenforcement

[State Attorney 18th Circuit FL @SA18PIO]

This month: Inside a Publisher’s Clearing House lottery con; and beware scam messages about nonpayment for Netflix or Prime Video. As always, you can read, securely download, or print the State Attorney's free newsletter here: https://t.co/00OhNNLmjX

#Brevardcounty #Seminolecounty #scams #scamalerts #crime

[State Attorney 18th Circuit FL @SA18PIO]

Sharpes-area man indicted for the 2023 shooting death of a family acquaintance and landlord,, a case that went cold for years. The Brevard County Grand Jury indicted TAVERY U. HOUSTON, 19, for first-degree murder and burglary for killing Franklin Orwig, 58, in the victim’s home. Why he said he did it: https://t.co/jWnPmgUgNR

#Brevardcounty #Sharpes #Portsaintjohn #crime #lawenforcement

[State Attorney 18th Circuit FL @SA18PIO]

Palm Bay man indicted for murdering a friend who was reported missing in 2025 and whose remains were discovered in February. Why and how GEORGE H. MANCILLA did it, according to police: https://t.co/KuqyNzSvtQ

#Brevardcounty #Palmbay #crime #lawenforcement

[State Attorney 18th Circuit FL @SA18PIO]

LENELL BARNES facing life in prison after Seminole Co. prosecutors convict him of burglary for smashing into Lake Mary jewelry store. Why he's in deep trouble despite not taking any jewels: https://t.co/LF3cpZr2dl

#Seminolecounty #LakeMary #Orlando #Crime #Florida #Lawenforcement

[State Attorney 18th Circuit FL @SA18PIO]

Merritt Island drug dealer JEREMY PRIEST, who supplied users with fentanyl and cocaine until a sheriff’s SWAT team raided his home, sentenced to 30 years in prison. How prosecutors Rebecca Price and Bernadette Serafinowicz secured a tough sentence: https://t.co/TL8evcsFEp

#Brevardcounty #Merrittisland #crime #fentanyl #lawenforcement