Shamar Blair was sentenced to life in prison after being convicted of Robbery with a Firearm While Masked. This is his third life sentence since February.
The jury returned the guilty verdict following a two-day trial in Charlotte County. Immediately following the jury verdict, the State proceeded to a bifurcated Prison Releasee Reoffender (PRR) proceeding with the same jury, and the jury found beyond a reasonable doubt that he qualifies as a PRR. This allowed the maximum sentence of life in prison.
The crime happened on May 1, 2019. The Punta Gorda Police Department went to the scene of an armed robbery that had just happened at a convenience store on Tamiami Trail. The defendant, wearing a hoodie, mask, and clear plastic gloves, had come into the store pointing a firearm at the clerk. He demanded she open the register. He took the money, about $55, and ran away.
Just 16 minutes later, the defendant robbed a gas station on Edgewater Boulevard. He was wearing the same clothes and using the same gun to demand money from the clerks. The Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office investigated that crime. In February, the defendant was sentenced to two life sentences plus 30 years in the case.
Assistant State Attorney Garrick Soja, Charlotte County Court Chief, and Assistant State Attorney Nolan Deming prosecuted both cases.
Samantha Syoen – State Attorney’s Office Communications Director