Five men convicted in the murder of 4-year-old Suni Bell are scheduled to be sentenced today in a Hillsborough County court. According to WFLA, the defendants, Quandarious Hammond, Zvante Sampson, Jaylin Bedward, Andrew Thompson, and James Denson, face mandatory life sentences for first-degree murder. They were also convicted on additional charges, including attempted first-degree murder, conspiracy to commit murder, and shooting at or within a vehicle.
Prosecutors stated that, under Florida's principal theory of prosecution, all five men should be held responsible for the death of 4-year-old Suni Bell, even though it was not known who fired the fatal shot. A jury convicted the defendants on this basis, as per WTSP. Sentencing is scheduled for 8:30 a.m.
On the day of the incident, Suni Bell was in a car with her mother and uncle on Hillsborough Avenue in Tampa when their silver Infiniti was shot at during a pursuit involving multiple vehicles, including those of the defendants. Tampa Bay 28 reported that one of the bullets struck and killed the four-year-old, while her mother and uncle were not physically injured.
