A headphone sale in Sanford ended with a 22-year-old Orlando man shot dead and his truck sinking into a retention pond, and now the two young men convicted in his killing face up to life in prison. William O. Smith and Dra'shawn D. Williams were found guilty of first-degree murder and attempted robbery with a firearm in the death of Brandon Leo, who was killed in July 2024 after traveling to Sanford to sell a pair of used headphones.
Smith, now 19, and Williams, now 17, were convicted on Friday, according to WKMG. Both were underage at the time of the shooting but were charged as adults because of the severity of the crime, an attribution the station traces to the state attorney's office. A sentencing hearing is scheduled for November 13.
A Deal for Beats Headphones Turns Deadly
Leo had listed a pair of Beats Wireless headphones on OfferUp, the online marketplace where buyers and sellers arrange in-person meetups, per the station's report. He drove to a vacant home in Sanford to complete the sale, where Smith and Williams attempted to rob him at gunpoint, according to the same account. When Leo tried to escape in his pickup truck, the pair opened fire as he reversed out of the driveway.
The Seminole County State Attorney's Office said Williams and Smith shot and killed Leo during what was supposed to be a simple meeting to purchase headphones. Leo's truck crashed into a nearby retention pond after he was shot, and he was later found dead in the vehicle from his wounds, the office said in its release announcing the indictment.
Physical Evidence and Digital Trails Led to Charges
Sanford police recovered seven shell casings and the headphones outside the vacant house where the shooting occurred, the station's report states. Investigators also pointed to neighborhood security footage that captured the shooting, along with information pulled from Leo's and the teens' cell phones and online accounts that tied Smith and Williams to the crime.
The case against the two defendants dates back more than two years. In September 2024, Williams — then 15 — and Smith — then 17 — were indicted on attempted robbery and first-degree murder charges, with prosecutors signaling from the outset that the teens would be prosecuted as adults, according to an earlier ClickOrlando report. The state attorney's office said at the time that Williams and Smith were indicted for first-degree felony murder and attempted robbery with a firearm.
How Florida Moves Juveniles Into Adult Court
Florida law allows prosecutors to pursue adult charges against minors through several pathways. Under Florida Statutes section 985.556, a state attorney may file a motion requesting the transfer of a juvenile case for criminal prosecution once the child is at least 14 years old, with courts weighing factors such as the seriousness and violence of the offense alongside the child's history. The broader framework, outlined in Chapter 985, Part X of the Florida Statutes, covers waiver of juvenile court jurisdiction, direct filing, indictment of a juvenile, and the sentencing powers and alternatives available once a minor is prosecuted as an adult.
With the convictions secured, Smith and Williams now face sentences of up to life in prison. Both are scheduled to be sentenced on November 13, closing out a case that began with a routine online sale and ended with a young man's death in a Sanford retention pond.
