Suncoast man gets life for a murder committed as a teen, in Punta Gorda

 

 

Suncoast man gets life for a murder committed as a teen, in Punta Gorda

Francesco Abbruzzino, The Uncensored Report, LLC

 

 

 
Office of the State Attorney – Amira Fox
 
SENTENCED TO LIFE IN PRISON FOR MURDER
 
Janari Richardson was sentenced to life in prison for Second Degree Murder with a Firearm and 40 years in prison for Robbery with a Firearm.
 
There will be a review after 20 years in prison, for both counts, as the defendant was a juvenile, 17 years old, at the time of the crime.
 
The defendant made an open plea to the court in March. An open plea is when a defendant gives up their right to a jury trial and makes a plea to the court for sentencing. It is not a plea agreement.
 
The defendant murdered a man in the parking lot of a Punta Gorda apartment complex in May 2023. The victim was shot to death in his car. The Punta Gorda Police Department investigated the case and their investigation led to the identity of the defendant, who lived in Arcadia, as the shooter. The investigation revealed the defendant robbed the victim and then murdered him.
 
The U.S. Marshals Federal Fugitive Task Force arrested the defendant in Arcadia.
 
Assistant State Attorney Caitlin Sorenson direct filed the case into adult court from juvenile court and prosecuted the case with Circuit Court Chief Assistant State Attorney Jillian Kuykendall.