Brant Dustin Kelling was convicted of Second Degree Murder for the murder of a man in Saint James City. The jury returned the guilty verdict Friday evening following a fiveday trial in Lee County.
Assistant State Attorneys Brenda Wade and Leena Marcos of the State Attorney’s Office Homicide Unit prosecuted the case.
The crime was discovered on August 10, 2023, when the Lee County Sheriff’s Office responded to a 911 call from a home in Saint James City. A woman there had found her friend, bloody and unresponsive, laying on the lanai of the home. He died at the scene.
There was a large amount of blood in the driveway of the home and visual injuries of trauma on the victim, who was not clothed. He had been beaten to death.
Deputies began an investigation that led them to the defendant as the person responsible for the crime.
Sentencing is scheduled for January 20, 2026.
Samantha Syoen – State Attorney’s Office Communications Director