A Sarasota County judge sentenced Franklin Raybon Jr. to life in prison without the possibility of parole for the first-degree murder of 25-year-old Octavious Cummings Jr., capping a four-day jury trial over a 2024 shooting that erupted after a fight at a crowded Nokomis beach park. Raybon shot Cummings in the chest at North Jetty Park on May 19, 2024, then fired additional rounds toward a woman and bystanders before fleeing, according to prosecutors.
Judge Andrea Decanio handed down the sentence following the trial that ended Thursday, as reported by mysuncoast.com. Jurors also found Raybon guilty of attempted second-degree murder with a firearm, shooting from a vehicle within 1,000 feet of people, and child abuse, according to 10 Tampa Bay. Sentencing on those three additional counts will take place at a later date, per mysuncoast.com's report.
A Fight at the Beach Turns Deadly
According to the State Attorney's Office, the shooting followed a brief physical altercation between Raybon and Cummings at the park. Cummings suffered a fatal gunshot wound to the chest and was pronounced dead at the scene, the same account notes.
Prosecutors said the confrontation began during a fight between the two men at the crowded park, and that Raybon then drove away in a vehicle carrying his girlfriend and their 7-month-old daughter, according to investigators cited by 10 Tampa Bay. Once the vehicle stopped, prosecutors said Raybon fired shots from inside it before firing 11 additional rounds over the car's roof toward Cummings, a woman, and bystanders at North Jetty Beach. Authorities told mysuncoast.com that Raybon fired a total of 13 rounds before speeding away from the park. Another woman at the scene escaped the gunfire, prosecutors said.
Two Days on the Run, Then an Arrest
Raybon remained at large for two days after the shooting before he was arrested, the station's report states. He ultimately surrendered to Sarasota County Sheriff's deputies, according to 10 Tampa Bay. The case was investigated by the Sarasota County Sheriff's Office, with Detective Matthew Leavitt serving as case agent, per the same mysuncoast.com account.
Prosecutor Karen Fraivillig said in a statement that Raybon demonstrated contempt for the law and an indifference to human life, according to 10 Tampa Bay. The shooting was one of several that marked a violent stretch in Sarasota County that year — as of May 21, 2024, the county had recorded 11 shootings that killed six people and injured eight, according to the Herald-Tribune.
What Comes Next for Raybon
With the murder sentence now in place, Raybon still faces sentencing on his convictions for attempted second-degree murder, shooting from a vehicle, and child abuse. Mysuncoast.com reported that those proceedings will be scheduled for a later date, leaving the full scope of his punishment still to be finalized.
