Convicted murderer may get chance to walk free, thanks to error by judge, court rules

Convicted murderer may get chance to walk free, thanks to error

A Florida appeals court has overturned the murder conviction of a Daytona Beach man, giving him a chance to walk free or face a new trial and forcing the victim’s family to relive a killing they believed was finally resolved.

ORLANDO, Fla. - A Florida appeals court has overturned the murder conviction of a Daytona Beach man, giving him a chance to walk free or face a new trial and forcing the victim’s family to relive a killing they believed was finally resolved.

The backstory:

In June 2022, Telan Mann went to meet up with someone who he thought was a basketball player, who he’d been chatting with online for the past six months. Instead, Mann was shot nine times and killed. 

Jakari Webb’s arrest report says he told detectives he did it because Mann spread a rumor he was gay, and he wanted to get back at him. But a judge just reversed Webb’s guilty verdict.

The overturned conviction

Webb’s court records show his attorney asked to have a mental health professional check whether he was competent to stand trial. And records show, that evaluation was done. But the 5th District Court of Appeals says the judge in the case never actually made a determination about competency. So they threw out the guilty verdict and sent the case back to circuit court.

What they're saying:

In 2024, Tikija Mann and her family watched Jakari Webb get convicted and sentenced to life in prison for killing her little brother.

Now, an appeals judge says they might have to do it again.

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"Why keep opening it back up? Why keep letting the families relive the moment? It's painful for us," Tikija said.

"It's just devastating and preposterous to me," said Manns’ mother, Shawn Greire. "It still hurts. He's never, never coming back."

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Tikija says her little brother was always helpful, always kind, and always made friends easily.

"He was just a ball of joy since he was a baby. He used to have these gummy little cheeks. He had the most contagious laugh, Oh my God."

What's next:

Two things could happen from here: Either the court is able to make a competency ruling for the original trial and apply it retroactively, or they’ll have to do the trial all over again.
So far, Webb doesn’t have any hearing date set.