Dexter Leonard Thomas, was sentenced to life in prison for First Degree Premediated Murder, life in prison for First Degree Burglary with Assault or Battery with a
Firearm, and 30 years in prison for Conspiracy to Commit First Degree Burglary, for a deadly home invasion robbery.
He was found guilty in August following a five-day trial in Lee County. Thomas was indicted by the Lee County Grand Jury on December 18, 2020. The State Attorney’s Office Cold Case Homicide Unit in partnership with the Lee County Sheriff’s Office, investigated the crime leading to the arrest and prosecution of those responsible. Assistant State Attorney Dan Feinberg, of the Cold Case Homicide Unit, and Assistant State Attorney Jennifer Royal, Assistant County Court Chief, prosecuted the case.
On February 21, 2015, the Lee County Sheriff’s Office received a 911 call from a woman who stated that someone had entered her Lehigh Acres home and shot a person and she was not sure if the attacker was still in the house.
Deputies immediately responded to the home; no suspects were inside. In the master bedroom, they found the victim who had been shot and died a short time later. A woman was hiding under the bed and 5 juveniles who resided there, were also at home. They were all unharmed.
The investigation determined entry was made into the home by prying open the rear sliding glass door and breaking an attached metal security gate. The defendant, wearing a mask and a knit cap, to conceal his identity, entered the master bedroom where the male victim was sleeping and the woman was awake. The suspect demanded money, rummaging through the room, and then shot the victim before fleeing. The suspect could not be immediately identified.
Two co-defendants, Tiphanie Dawn Sager and Antonio Crews, have already been sentenced for their role in the crime.
Samantha Syoen – Communications Director, State Attorney’s Office