A Palm Beach County jury on Thursday found 26-year-old Traquanne Mosley guilty of first-degree murder, robbery and aggravated assault, and Circuit Court Judge John Parnofiello immediately sentenced him to life in prison without the possibility of parole. The conviction stems from a May 29, 2020 robbery in Lake Worth Beach that left a 35-year-old man dead, bringing a long-running case to a close for investigators and the victim's family.
What prosecutors presented
As reported by WPBF, prosecutors said Mosley and an accomplice confronted two men on the 700 block of South H Street in Lake Worth Beach on the night of May 29, 2020. Authorities say Jamie Ariel Tebalan Basquez, 34, was robbed at gunpoint and that Fredias Alfaro-Alvarenga, 35, was shot and killed after refusing to hand over money. According to the same outlet, Mosley’s alleged accomplice, Lawrence Fleury, pleaded guilty in May 2024 to accessory to murder and felony possession of a firearm and received an 18-year sentence under a plea deal.
Arrest and evidence
According to WPTV, Mosley and Fleury were arrested hours after the killing following a chase through Broward and Palm Beach counties. WPTV's coverage states that Mosley told detectives he took part in the robbery but denied being the shooter, and court affidavits in earlier coverage indicate he received a share of the proceeds. Those arrest reports and witness testimony were presented to the jury during the five-day trial.
Legal context
Per the Florida Statutes, a killing that occurs during the commission of certain felonies, including robbery, is first-degree murder and constitutes a capital felony punishable by death or life imprisonment without parole. The statute also outlines the procedure prosecutors must follow if they choose to seek the death penalty. In this case, jurors returned guilty verdicts on the capital counts and the judge imposed a life term immediately after the verdict.
Prosecution and closure
According to WPBF, the case was prosecuted by Assistant State Attorneys Bethany Johnson and Lauren Gutierrez. Judge Parnofiello imposed the life sentence immediately after the jury's decision. With Mosley headed to prison for life and Fleury serving an 18-year term under his plea, prosecutors said the long-running investigation into the 2020 killing has reached its conclusion.
The convictions and sentences underscore the deadly consequences prosecutors say can flow from street robberies, and they mark a rare instance in recent years of a 2020 case reaching trial and resulting in a life sentence. Court records and local reporting show Mosley will serve his sentence with no possibility of parole.
