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Demaurea Grant, 30, faces multiple charges including first-degree murder in connection to the shooting death of JSO corrections officer Brad McNew.
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Prosecutors on the murder case of Jacksonville sheriff’s corrections officer Brad McNew said in Duval County court Monday morning they intend to seek the death penalty for the man accused of shooting and killing McNew.
Demaurea Grant, 30, faces charges of first-degree murder, discharging a firearm from a vehicle, aggravated assault and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon in connection to McNew’s murder. During his arraignment in court Monday, he waived his right to a speedy trial.
The start date for Grant’s trial will be set at his next court date, a pre-trial hearing on June 16. He is currently being housed in Clay County.
What happened?
On Oct. 12, 2024 around 1:20 a.m., McNew, who was off duty at the time, was shot and killed at Love’s Travel Stop on Jacksonville’s Northside, according to the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office.
McNew was employed with the sheriff’s office for 24 years and had just finished his shift when he was shot at the Duval Road truck stop. He was not in uniform, JSO said.
Sheriff T.K. Waters called the shooting “senseless violence” and “disturbing.”
“He’s the epitome of a public servant to me,” Waters said about McNew.
JSO said Grant shot McNew from the passenger window of a black 2000 Mustang with a North Carolina license plate.
In surveillance footage released by JSO, showing the moments that led up to the shooting, a man identified by JSO as Grant is seen exiting the Mustang, putting a handgun on its hood, then throwing a woman identified as Makayla Huggins out of the car.
McNew then intervened and asked if Huggins was OK, according to JSO. When this happened, JSO said that Grant told McNew it was a “family matter” and pointed the gun at McNew.
The sheriff’s office said Grant shot McNew through the Mustang’s passenger window multiple times and fled the scene with Huggins shortly after. McNew was then taken to a local hospital, where he died of his injuries.
Huggins, 26, pleaded guilty to accessory after the fact April 1. She is scheduled for a status hearing on July 7 at 9 a.m., court records show.
