Man breaks in and kills neighbor to steal his Xbox a second time, FL cops say
A man stole his neighbor's Xbox, then when his neighbor bought a new Xbox, he broke in again, killed him and stole his new Xbox, Florida authorities said.
James Conyers, 45, was convicted of second-degree murder and dealing in stolen property, and now he's been sentenced to life in prison, Duval County records show.
His attorney declined to comment to McClatchy News on June 3.
The investigation began when Terrill Trumble, 28, didn't show up to work July 24, 2023, according to the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office.
He wasn't answering his door, but one of his friends noticed his back door was unlocked, police wrote in an arrest report.
When he went inside, he found Trumble dead on the bathroom floor with a gunshot wound to the head, and his new Xbox had disappeared, according to police.
Neighbors at the apartment complex said Trumble had ongoing issues with Conyers, adding Conyers had 'bragged' about breaking into Trumble's apartment and stealing his Xbox and a shotgun a month earlier, according to police.
Trumble bought a new Xbox, but on July 23, 2023, Conyers' girlfriend reported that he had disappeared from their apartment with her gun and her vehicle, officers said.
He came back later that day but refused to explain why he had taken her gun, she told officers, according to the report.
The next day, Trumble was found dead, police said.
Conyers denied killing Trumble, saying they were friends and had no issues, but detectives said they found out someone had sold both of Trumble's stolen Xboxes to a gaming store. Trumble's new Xbox was sold to the store hours after he was killed, investigators said.
Phone records showed Conyers was in the same area of the store when the Xboxes were sold, and he had looked up the store online, police said.
The bullet used to kill Trumble was fired from Conyers' girlfriend's gun, investigators said.
Detectives said they learned Conyers had previously been convicted of manslaughter in South Carolina from a similar incident in which Conyers' friend was found dead from a gunshot wound to the head. He was prohibited from possessing a firearm.
A jury found Conyers guilty in April, prosecutors announced.
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