DOB: 12/05/1997

Case Number: 2023 304309 CFDB

Volusia County Defendant Convicted of First-Degree Murder

DELAND – After a four-day trial, a Volusia County jury found defendant Danitto Simpson guilty as charged of First-Degree Murder (Firearm). Immediately following the verdict, he was sentenced to life in prison.

On September 10, 2023, the defendant started a verbal argument with a man in the courtyard of a Daytona Beach apartment complex. It escalated to a physical fight, and then Simpson pulled a handgun from his waistband and shot the victim in the stomach.

The victim tried to escape by running away from the scene, but Simpson chased him around a building and shot him again from behind.

The victim died from his injuries at the hospital. Multiple witnesses identified the defendant as the shooter, and he was later arrested.

“This case marks the second life sentence this week for violent crimes committed in the 7th Circuit,” State Attorney R.J. Larizza said about the case. “Ridding our communities of dangerous criminals is a mission we pursue every single day.”

The Daytona Beach Police Department investigated the case. Assistant State Attorneys Mike Willard and Philip Dunlop successfully tried the case for the state. The Honorable Karen Foxman presided over the case and pronounced sentence.