A Central Florida man who opened fire on the relative who had taken him in will serve 20 years in prison, bringing a conclusion to a case that began with a disagreement over whether a weapon should be kept near children. Joel T. Ferrer, 25, was convicted of manslaughter for the death of David N. Jackson, 41. He was also ordered to serve ten years of probation following his release from prison.
Circuit Judge Michael Rudisill imposed the sentence on June 4, according to the State Attorney’s Office for Florida’s 18th Judicial Circuit. The case received increased local attention Monday after the West Orlando News published a new description of the punishment.
The incident occurred in July 2023 at the Goldelm at Regency Oaks apartment complex in the Casselberry neighborhood. Ferrer was holding a semi-automatic revolver when Jackson challenged him about storing a gun in a residence with children, according to WFTV.
Jackson later entered a breezeway to smoke a cigar, and Ferrer followed suit. Prosecutors said Ring camera footage showed Jackson, who was unarmed, approaching fast toward Ferrer before the latter opened fire and struck him seven times, including once in the back.
Ferrer said that he was afraid Jackson might beat or shove him down nearby outdoor stairs. The prosecution also stated that Ferrer had been drinking shots of Jack Daniel’s prior to the shooting and had recently visited Orlando’s Aquatica water park with Jackson and his family.
Jackson had taken Ferrer in and shared the apartment with her aunt and four children. According to the state attorney’s office, prosecutor Stewart Stone stated that Jackson’s family was satisfied with the verdict and thought the punishment was reasonable.
Manslaughter is a second-degree felony in Florida. It is defined as the killing of a person without lawful reason when the behavior does not qualify as excusable homicide or murder. The Florida Senate described the statute.
Ferrer was initially charged with second-degree murder following the shooting, but a Seminole County jury convicted him of manslaughter in April. The result suggests that jurors rejected his self-defense argument as a complete defense while convicting him of the lesser homicide count.
Ferrer will serve 20 years in state prison, followed by a decade on probation. The punishment brings the trial portion of a case that began with a family living arrangement, a loaded firearm, and an argument in a Florida apartment complex to its most significant conclusion.
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