Rick Patrick
ECB Publishing Inc.
On Thursday, Dec. 3, a jury returned a guilty verdict in the trial of Monticello resident, Brad Cameron Whitfield. Whitfield had been charged in connection with a shooting that claimed the life of Kenneth McQuay, Jr. on Sunday, July 5. Whitfield was found guilty of the lesser charge of Manslaughter. The jury could have instead found Whitfield guilty of second degree murder. In addition to the manslaughter conviction, the jury also found that the State proved “beyond a reasonable doubt that the defendant (Whitfield) personally carried or used a firearm during the commission of the manslaughter.” This statement is significant because, according to defense attorney Richard Hornsby, the use of a firearm increases the severity of the crime to a level eight offense severity and is assessed an additional 18 sentencing points for possession of a firearm under Florida's Criminal Punishment Code. This means that the minimum prison time faced by Whitfield is 11 and a half years, unless the judge finds evidence of mitigating circumstances that would warrant a lesser sentence. Whitfield could