A violent career criminal was arrested in Central Florida, and Seminole County prosecutors and sheriff’s investigators worked tirelessly to return him to prison for good.
A Seminole County jury recently convicted 30-year-old Damiroquan McGill guilty of the upgraded charge of possession of a firearm by a violent career criminal after hearing evidence presented by assistant state attorneys Anna Valentini and Jennie Hayes. A conviction on such an offense carries a mandatory life sentence unless the sentencing judge delivers a written finding that it is not necessary to safeguard the public.
Officers from the Seminole County Sheriff’s Office’s Offender Management and Intelligence Section arrested McGill nearly two years ago. McGill had broken the terms of his probation from one of his previous felony convictions, so deputies took up positions surrounding a Sanford home with a warrant to arrest him.
McGill fled when confronted, jumping a fence into a neighbor’s yard and dropping a loaded 9 mm Smith & Wesson revolver from his waistband as a detective pursued him.
The Sheriff’s Offender Management and Intelligence Section is a specialist team tasked with detecting, monitoring, and disrupting criminal behavior involving Seminole County’s most prolific offenders. Working together with the State Attorney’s Office, the team concentrates on developing solid cases to ensure effective prosecution and minimize the impact of offenders on the community.
“They do so many things behind the scenes to keep the community safe, and this case is a perfect example,” Valentini commented.
To condemn McGill as a Violent Career Criminal, Valentini and Hayes had to establish two things to the jury: McGill illegally possessed the firearm, and he had at least three prior convictions for “forcible” felonies, which are offenses involving the use or threat of physical violence.
The jury discovered Damiroquan McGill’s record, which included:
- Manslaughter, for the shooting death of another man in Seminole County in 2015. McGill was sentenced in 2018 to four years in state prison.
- Two counts of burglary of a Seminole County dwelling in 2016 while in possession of a firearm. He was sentenced that year to six years in prison.
- Armed burglary in Volusia County in 2015, for which he was sentenced in 2022.
McGill was freed from prison in June 2022. He later broke his probation for the Volusia County crime, resulting in an arrest warrant and his 2024 capture in Seminole County.
Circuit Judge Michael Rudisill has scheduled McGill’s sentencing for April 17th.
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