The man deemed most responsible for the murder of Sonny Richard two years ago was sentenced to Life in prison on Friday, September 13 after pleading guilty, State Attorney Larry Basford announced. A second defendant was sentenced to 50 years in prison, and a new sentencing date was set for the third. All three individuals were arrested in 2022 in connection with the homicide on Graceville resident Sonny Richard.
In January 2022, Gabriel Clemons, Devin Knight, and Ramaryia Keys were arrested in connection with the murder of Sonny Richard after an extensive investigation by Jackson County Sheriff’s Office Investigators. The victim was reported missing by his family on January 13, 2022. Richard’s body was located in a fire pit on Skyview Road in Marianna after he was murdered two days prior. His cause of death was determined to be blunt force trauma to the head.
Gabriel Dewayne Clemons, 41, of Marianna, was sentenced to Life in prison after he entered an open plea to Second-Degree Murder, meaning there was no agreed-upon sentence. He was charged in the Jan. 13, 2022, beating death of Richard, 23, in the defendant’s yard.
Devin Michael Knight, 24, of DeFuniak Springs, was sentenced to 50 years in prison after pleading No Contest to Second-Degree Murder. Knight’s statements to Jackson County Sheriff’s Office investigators the day after the murder and his cooperation helped lead to the arrests.
Ramaryia Keys, 17 at the time of the crime, is set for sentencing in October after pleading No Contest to Accessory After the Fact (Murder) and Destruction of, Tampering with, or Fab- ricating Physical Evidence.
Richard was beaten to death by Clemons, who repeatedly struck him in the back of the head with a metal pipe that had cement on one end. Prosecutor Peter Overstreet said the motive was to rob the victim and get money for methamphetamine. The body was pulled to a burn pit and set on fire after the victim died.
Overstreet called witnesses – including Jackson County Sheriff’s Office investigators and the co-defendants – to show Circuit Court Judge Ana Maria Garcia what happened that night and each defendant’s actions. The defendant also testified.
“Mr. Clemons received exactly what he deserves for the heinous murder of Sonny Richard,” Overstreet said after the 3-hour-long sentencing hearing.
During that hearing, Overstreet told Judge Garcia it was the Prosecution’s job to present all the evidence, good and bad, and in this case it pointed to Clemons as the catalyst.
“We talk about the good. the bad. and the ugly,” Overstreet said. “We say the good things defendants have done in aiding law enforcement, and also the horror of their actions. And it’s the court’s job here to meet out the appropriate punishment.
“It is State’s belief, law enforcement’s belief, that the man sitting right there is the man most responsible for Sonny Richard’s death.”
Jackson County Sheriff’s Office Capt. Jeremy Pelfry testified he was leaving the scene when he saw Knight walking down the road. He stopped to talk to him and ultimately took him in for questioning.
Knight told investigators Key called the victim to come to the residence to repay her some money. He said Clemons attacked the victim with the metal pipe after deciding to rob him. The blows to the victim’s head were fatal.
The victim’s father, Randall Richard, wrote a statement to the court that he asked Overstreet to read aloud for the judge.
“Sonny was my baby boy, he was 23 years old at the time of his death,” Mr. Richard wrote. “He had his whole life ahead of him. Sonny was a very trusting young man. He thought the defendants were his friends.
“He trusted them, and he lost his life because of that trust,” the statement continued. “I will forever have a hole in my heart that cannot be filled.
“I am proud of the work done by the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office Criminal Investigations Division in making sure that these three individuals pay for the crimes they committed,” Sheriff Edenfield said. “Our thoughts and prayers go out to the families of not only Sonny Richards, but of Gabriel Clemons, Devin Knight and Ramaryia Keys as well.”
Basford thanked the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office for its thorough investigation which led to a quick resolution of the homicide.
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