Decide Mark Jones on March 7 granted a $3 million bond to Preston Brewer, who police say shot and killed Garrett Hughes in a bar car parking zone hours after the Tremendous Bowl in February 2023.
As of April 9, Brewer had not posted the $3 million bond, which usually requires 10%, and remained within the Key West Detention Middle, in keeping with the Monroe County Sheriff’s Workplace on-line record of present inmates.
Brewer has been in jail on homicide and different costs for the reason that taking pictures occurred within the rear car parking zone of the previous Conch City Liquor & Lounge, 3340 N. Roosevelt Blvd. The bar and liquor retailer, now closed, have been situated in a constructing that the Brewer household owned.
The choose finalized the situations of Brewer’s launch on bond in a March 10 order.
No trial date has been set, as Brewer and his protection attorneys are interesting the choose’s denial of his stand-your-ground, or self-defense, declare. That attraction must be heard by the third District Court docket of Enchantment earlier than the trial can proceed.
Along with the $3 million financial bond, Brewer is to stay confined to his residence on Key Haven and topic to fixed GPS monitoring.
“The defendant is allowed journey in and round Monroe County, Florida, for ‘life important’ errands, to not exceed journey past the northeast boundary of mile marker 106,” the order states. “‘Life important’ functions might embody visits with protection attorneys, legit work functions, church, physician appointments, and emergency medical wants, or different issues pre-approved by pre-trial providers.”
Brewer should additionally relinquish his passport and all firearms, together with spear weapons, and is prohibited from utilizing the boat he owns. He’s prohibited from utilizing medicine or alcohol and can undergo at the least three random urinalysis exams per thirty days, the order states.
The choose additionally dominated that Brewer might haven’t any contact with Hughes’ household, the witnesses within the case, the previous proprietor of Conch City, or three of his enterprise and monetary associates until authorized counsel is current.
Lastly, Brewer should steer clear of and haven’t any contact with the placement of 3440 N. Roosevelt Blvd., which is the place the taking pictures occurred.
That property, a business constructing, now belongs to Hughes’ dad and mom, John Hughes and Lesley Touzalin, in keeping with county property data.
These data present that the constructing’s possession modified on Oct. 1, 2024, when it was offered for $4 million. It’s now owned by a restricted legal responsibility firm known as GDH22 LLC, managed by John Hughes and Touzalin.
It’s unclear whether or not the sufferer’s dad and mom purchased the constructing, or acquired it as a part of a confidential settlement that was reached in a wrongful loss of life civil lawsuit they filed in opposition to Brewer shortly after Garrett Hughes’ loss of life.
The way it occurred
Hughes, who was 21 on the time of his loss of life, left Conch City Lounge at 12:26 a.m. on Feb. 13, 2023, after enjoying darts together with his brother and two mates. He’s visibly inebriated in video safety footage of the bar’s rear car parking zone. Hughes walks to the again of the car parking zone and stands between two parked vehicles whereas urinating in opposition to the wall of an adjoining constructing, which was not owned by Brewer.
Shirtless and unarmed, Hughes was sporting shorts and flip flops when Brewer exited the bar and approached Hughes whereas exchanging phrases with him over the urination. The footage exhibits Brewer, then 57, elevating his shirt to disclose a handgun whereas crossing the car parking zone towards Hughes. Throughout a seconds-long bodily altercation, Brewer shot Hughes within the stomach. He died a short while later on the hospital.
The choose on Feb. 12 denied Brewer’s self-defense declare, which, if granted, would have dismissed the homicide cost in opposition to him.
Jones dominated final month that Brewer was the aggressor, writing in his five-page order, “It’s clear to the courtroom that the defendant, Lloyd P. Brewer III, instigated his lethal confrontation with Garrett Hughes. … The courtroom finds that stand your floor immunity was not enacted to guard somebody like Lloyd Brewer beneath these circumstances, which he created,” the order states.
The choose additional stated, “the defendant shot a half-naked, drunken, unarmed man,” and added that Brewer didn’t have an affordable perception that he was dealing with imminent loss of life or nice bodily hurt.