Man sentenced to life in prison for murder in 2022 after Leon County jury convicted him

A Leon County jury has convicted a man of shooting and killing another during a fight in 2022.

Charles Malphurs, 48, was found guilty of first-degree murder, armed burglary, aggravated assault with a firearm and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. According to a press release from the Public Prosecution Service, he was sentenced to life in prison.

Leon County sheriff’s deputies responded to a shooting on February 20, 2022, at a home at 1895 Wax Myrtle Ct. in the Woodville area of ​​southern Leon County.

What happened: TPD and LCSO investigate two separate murders in a 24-hour period; 2 arrested, 1 arrested

According to the release, officers found the victim, Michael Dean, dead with a gunshot wound to the head. They later learned that Malphurs had permission to park a broken-down Nissan Pathfinder in the victim’s yard until he could get it repaired.

On the day of the crime, Malphurs went to the house to retrieve the vehicle, but noticed the catalytic converter had been tampered with.

Malphurs “retrieved a firearm, burst into the home and shot the victim round in the head,” the news release said. “The victim’s roommate ran into the home when he heard screaming and struggled with the suspect to gain control of the weapon.”

The roommate was able to unload the gun and throw it out of the house before tending to the victim, while Malphurs and his friend, James McIntyre, fled through the woods to a nearby location. Officers were later able to arrest Malphurs after a foot chase.

Malphurs has a history of arrests dating back to the 1990s and was on pretrial release just a few months prior to the murder on a charge of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, as previously reported.

“The defendant was released less than a year before the murder after serving a sentence on charges of tampering with a witness, domestic violence by strangulation and criminal trespass,” the news release said.

Breaking & trending news reporter Elena Barrera can be reached at [email protected]. Follow her on X: @elenabarreraaa.

This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Leon County jury convicts man accused of 2022 murder in Woodville