25-year-old sentenced to 35 years in prison for murder of 17-year-old
Staff report
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Dyquann Deauntay Freeney, 25, has been sentenced to 35 years in prison following a plea deal for the February 19 death of 17-year-old Caleb Fries at Pointe 23 Apartments.
Freeney entered a plea of nolo contendere to second-degree murder (a lesser included offense; he was originally indicted for capital felony murder while engaged in a robbery), conspiracy to commit armed robbery, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, tampering with evidence, and shooting into a vehicle. A charge of robbery with a firearm (a 10-20-Life offense) was dropped as part of the plea deal.
Freeney, along with juveniles Mikhail Lawson and Kemeon Lee, allegedly conspired to rob Fries while Lee pretended to buy marijuana from him; after Lee got into Fries’ car to conduct the transaction, Lawson and Freeney allegedly came up each side of the car with guns. Fries reportedly saw them and fired toward Lawson, hitting the magazine of his gun, and Freeney has now pled to killing Fries with one shot to the head through a window.
Judge Phillip Pena sentenced Freeney to 35 years in prison on the second-degree homicide charge, with a 25-year mandatory minimum. Each of the four other charges resulted in 15-year sentences, all served concurrently with the 35-year sentence.
Kemeon Lee, 16, entered a plea of nolo contendere in June to unlawful use of a two-way communications device, tampering with evidence, and possession of a controlled substance with intent to purchase it; charges of homicide while engaged in a robbery, conspiracy to commit armed robbery, and armed robbery were dropped as part of the plea deal. Judge Phillip Pena sentenced Lee to 5 years of drug offender probation with a requirement to testify truthfully in proceedings against the other two defendants, submit to random drug screens, and attend school regularly or maintain employment.
Mikhail Lawson is awaiting trial.
Merry Christmas!
He got off light, how does reckless robbery/murder turn into 2nd degree? He should never breathe free air again, when he dies put him in the fire because dirt is too good for him.
The lighter sentence is courtesy of our DA. That’s where the blame lies. He and his whole office have been far too lenient with criminals committing shootings. But they continue to blame inanimate objects for all the crime.
If three whites robbed a black juvenile and shot him dead anywhere in this country they’d all be getting life without parole, and the Feds would come in after the fact to charge them again. 35 years. What a joke.
WHY do public lawyers plea deal with the heinous creatures? ACLUSPLCDNC 👹💩🤡👿👺
A: because they WANT repeat offenders released sooner rather than never.
Florida needs an amendment to radically change the court system and sentencing, with juries in charge. Make lawyers starve and replace judges with A.I. apps 🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸MAGA
Dyquann Deauntay? ROFLMAO!
so this is how F*%#ed up Alachua county is they let the one that set his own friend up to be robbed and killed off with a slap on the wrist. GT*OH