The trial of Marcus Chamblin, 29, began today with jury selection and will last at least through the week. Chamblin faces a first-degree murder charge in the shooting death in October 2019 of 25-year-old Deon O’Neil Jenkins at a Palm Coast Circle K and the wounding of Shakir Terry, now 31. The death penalty is not an option. But Chamblin faces life in prison if convicted. Derrius Bauer goes on trial on the same charges in September.
Circuit & County Court
Circuit Judge Terence Perkins, Trenchant and Measured Sage of Flagler’s Bench, Will Retire in September
Besides a judicial temperament from central casting, a sparkling intelligence free of presumption and an ability to synthesize legal precedents and concepts to their essence, Perkins had a knack for innovations–the paperless system he ushered in as chief judge, and in Flagler, one of the most advanced and continuing live-video systems in the state, enabling broader access to the court.
Marcus Chamblin’s Defense Loses Almost All Key Motions It Sought Ahead of Next Week’s Circle K Murder Trial
Marcus Chamblin, 29, is one of two men facing murder and attempted murder charges in the death by fusillade of Deon O’Neil Jenkins and the wounding of another man, S.T., as they sat in a car at the Circle K on Palm Coast Parkway early the morning of Oct. 12, 2019. The defense lost motions to keep out of view of the jury a set of lyrics that could amount to a confession, and evidence found in the car Marcus Bauer and Chamblin drove out of Flagler County.
Six Life Terms for Andrew Sharp, 22, Who Repeatedly Assaulted His 8-Year-Old Cousin and Procured Her
Six weeks after Donald Andrew Sharp was found guilty of raping his cousin starting when she was 8, and of procuring her as a sexual toy to her slightly old brother, Circuit Judge Terence Perkins sentenced Sharp to six life terms in prison without the possibility of parole. Sharp was unreactive.
Marcus Chamblin Trial in Circle K Murder Set for April 8 as Co-Defendant Derrius Bauer Waits Until September
The trial of Derrius Braxton Bauer on a first-degree murder charge in the shooting death of Deon O’Neal Jenkins at a Palm Coast Circle K station in 2019 has been pushed to September to first accommodate the trial of Bauer’s co-defendant, Marcus Chamblin, set for April 8. The Chamblin trial includes a potential list of over 120 witnesses, will stretch over two weeks, and will be one of the more complex local criminal trials in recent years.
Michael Wells Sentenced to 21 Months in Prison for Standoff With Deputies and Domestic Violence
Michael Wells, the 57-year-old Palm Coast resident at the center of a two-hour standoff with police on Brunswick Lane that ended with several felony charges last September was sentenced today to 21 months in prison followed by 24 months on drug-offender probation.
Admitting to Role in Killing Him, Tyrese Patterson Called 16-Year-Old Noah Smith His ‘Dog’ and ‘Best Friend’
Circuit Judge Terence Perkins has denied a motion by 22-year-old Tyrese Patterson’s attorney to exclude a long confession from his upcoming trial on a charge of murdering 16-year-old Noah Smith in a crossfire in Bunnell two years ago. That confession includes details about what led up to the killing, and how Patterson described his relationship with Smith as “best friends” who hung out together frequently. Startlingly, he also said the killing had not changed him.
Cash Bail: Unfair, and a Violation of Due Process
When arrested on suspicion of committing a crime, everyone in the United States has the right to due process and to defend themselves in court. But in a cash bail system, when judges set bail amounts, those who cannot pay the full amount remain jailed indefinitely — a clear violation of their due process rights — while the rich can pay their way out of jail.
Bomb Squad Explodes Suspicious Bundle of 40 Palm Coast Observers After Delivery Misfire at Courthouse
A suspicious package found at a door of the courthouse this morning, before the day’s proceedings began, forced a lockdown of the building and restricted access to law enforcement. The St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office’s bomb squad has been summoned, leaving the courthouse empty for now. No one had to be evacuated from the building since no one had gone in yet. But three judges were set for hearings at 8:30 and 9.
Ahead of Trial, Lawyer for Man Accused in Murder of Noah Smith Says Interrogation Was Constitutional Violation
Tyrese Patterson is one of three men facing a murder charge in the shooting death of 16-year-old Noah Smith in Bunnell in 2022. In court today, Patterson’s attorney, Tim Pribisco, heatedly sparred with Flagler County Sheriff’s detective Augustin Rodriguez, who was testifying, and just as fiercely argued to Circuit Judge Terence Perkins that an interrogation of Patterson at the county jail by Rodriguez is inadmissible, because Patterson twice directly and indirectly asked about his attorney, only for the interrogation to continue.