Florida
How 80-year-old crosswording juror caused a mistrial in Florida Home depot murder case
A Florida judge has granted the defense team’s motion for a mistrial in the Home Depot murder case because of an “unhinged juror.”
After more than five hours of deliberations earlier this week, an Escambia County judge called a mistrial for Shelia Agee, who is accused of helping her son kill the mother of his child at a Pensacola Home Depot store last year.
“A particular juror has not treated this case during the evidence with the seriousness that they should have, that has apparently continued during deliberations,” Judge Coleman Robinson told WKRG.
The problems reportedly began when juror Sallie Sue Smith was caught with a crossword puzzle during testimony, according to WEAR News 3.
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Keith Agee, 20, and his mother, Sheila, were allegedly texting about his plans to kill Brooklyn Sims at The Home Depot in Pensacola. (Escambia County Sheriff’s Office)
On Tuesday, Smith was found working on a crossword puzzle during witness testimony. The next day, she was found using another crossword puzzle during deliberation.
Smith told WEAR News that the puzzle “helped her focus,” and denied any threatening behavior in the jury room.
“It was me,” Smith told WEAR News. “Well, I didn’t know it was a bad thing. I do that when I concentrate and I’m listening. You couldn’t see the bench or witness stand very well cause it was dark. But I could hear it… That’s just the way I do. I just do that and I had no idea and then when they told me I wasn’t supposed to do it, I stopped. And then, today, when I went into the jury room, I had another crossword puzzle.”
Other jurors also later shared concerns about their safety during deliberations with Judge Robinson.
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Sheila Agee, 50, is facing charges in the shooting death of 18-year-old Brooklyn Sims after allegedly helping her son plan the attack. (Washington County Jail)
“It is just a single piece of paper with a crossword puzzle printed on one side and not sure what’s on the other side,” said Robinson. “…I cannot ever recall a juror doing a crossword puzzle during a trial.”
Judge Robinson later questioned each juror, calling them in, one by one, and asked if they felt safe to continue after concerns were relayed to him by security.
Nearly 20 witnesses took the stand, while it took prosecutors less than two days to rest their case against Agee. However, due to the jury’s issues, the trial was “hindered beyond repair.”
Smith didn’t say what her decision was on a verdict, but denied any threatening behavior to WEAR News.
“We retired to the jury room and started to deliberate,” Smith said. “It became obvious to me right away that I was in the minority of one versus 11 other people… At first, it started out reasonable. A lot of shouting, and I can shout, too.”
“I do have a loud voice, but I was being shouted down by a lot of people,” Smith added.
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Keith Agee, 20, is charged with homicide and aggravated battery in the shooting death of 18-year-old Brooklyn Sims. (Escambia County Jail)
Agee, 51, was charged with principal to first-degree premeditated murder after police discovered text messages allegedly showing her help plan the shooting death of the mother of her son’s child, 18-year-old Brooklyn Sims, who was also Sheila’s co-worker.
Her son, Keith Agee, 20, was arrested by the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office in connection with the deadly Aug. 11, 2023 shooting of Sims.
“According to text messages, it’s clear that Keith Agee’s mother, Sheila Agee, knew and participated in the plan to kill Brooklyn Sims. Additionally, text messages between mother and son highlight the mother’s involvement in helping locate the victim,” the ECSO previously wrote on Facebook.
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The department released the alleged text messages between the mother and son on its Facebook page, claiming they took place right before Sims was shot and killed.
“The murder itself is unbelievable, but to know the mother knew about it and helped coordinate it is incomprehensible,” Sheriff Chip Simmons said previously via Facebook.
The case is expected to be back in court on Feb. 5.
“Another jury will have to come back and listen to the evidence in front of another jury where hopefully, those certain members will follow common sense, will follow the law, will treat their fellow jurors with decency and appropriateness. And will reach a verdict, whatever that may be, that is a fair and just verdict for both sides,” Robinson said.
Fox News Digital’s Elizabeth Pritchett contributed to this report.
Archive photos show a sea of green in Florida. What usually causes harmful algal blooms along the Sunshine State’s coasts?
Harmful algal blooms — out-of-control colonies of microscopic algae — are a “growing problem” in every “U.S. coastal and Great Lakes state,” according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
They affect the “health of people and marine ecosystems,” and can also have a detrimental effect on the economy, according to NOAA, especially in coastal communities that are particularly dependent on fishing and tourism.
Climate change, along with increases in nutrient pollution, could cause harmful algal blooms (HABs) to occur more frequently, according to the agency.
Harmful algal blooms can “produce toxic or harmful effects on people, fish, shellfish, marine mammals and birds,” NOAA’s website states. Human illnesses caused by HABs are rare, but they can be “debilitating or even fatal.”
Sea of green? Aerial photos show toxic algae blooms, including in Florida waters
What are harmful algal blooms composed of?
Harmful algal blooms can be caused by a range of organisms, NOAA states, including “toxic and noxious phytoplankton, cyanobacteria, benthic algae, and macroalgae.”
Some HABs can make wildlife-killing toxins that negatively affect fish, mammals and birds, and can also cause human sickness or death in “extreme cases.” Other blooms, while nontoxic, can consume “all of the oxygen in the water as they decay, clog the gills of fish and invertebrates, or smother corals and submerged aquatic vegetation.” Additionally, some algae can discolor water, pile up on beaches or contaminate drinking water.
What usually causes harmful algal blooms along Florida’s coasts?
In the Gulf of Mexico, especially along the west coast of Florida, HABs are most often caused by Karenia brevis, which can turn the surface of the ocean a deep red.
Although there’s no way to predict exactly when a Karenia brevis overgrowth might occur, scientists can forecast the movement of a “red tide” when it does crop up by using wind and water data, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.
They can last “as little as a few weeks or longer than a year,” and how long a bloom persists in “nearshore Florida waters” depends on a variety of factors, including nutrients, salinity and sunlight, reads the FWC’s website.
Sarah Perkel is a South Florida Connect Reporter for the USA TODAY Network’s Florida Connect team. You can get all of Florida’s best content directly in your inbox each weekday day by signing up for the free newsletter, Florida TODAY.
EA Sports released its official team ratings for College Football 27, and the Florida Gators checked in at No. 19 with an 84 overall rating.
Jon Sumrall’s team was granted an 84 offensive rating and a 83 defensive rating, indicating balance on both sides of the ball. Florida is one of 10 SEC programs to crack the top 25. Oregon leads the field with an overall rating of 91. The Ducks are followed by Ohio State (90), Indiana (90), Notre Dame (89) and Texas (89). UF joins nine other SEC teams rated inside the top 25.
The rating continues a major thrust of positive sentiment around Sumrall and the Gators. During this offseason, Florida has been pegged as a CFB playoff dark horse, an SEC wild card and one of sport’s biggest sleepers. The valuation is likely fueled by the Orange and Blue’s transfer portal additions and the retention of key pieces, including junior running back Jadan Baugh, who notched Second-Team All-SEC honors last season.
Sumrall’s cultural reset in Gainesville has started a buzz around college football that has continued to grow louder by the month. Despite a massive roster overhaul and the departure of a five-star quarterback, the Gators have seen a jolt in their national perception.
To reestablish a championship standard, UF will have to navigate an arduous nine-game conference schedule. The Gators face No. 17-rated Missouri (85) in Week 5, No. 5-rated Texas (89) in Week 7, No. 9-rated Georgia (87) in Week 8 and No. 10-rated Oklahoma (87) in Week 9.
Follow us @GatorsWire on X, formerly known as Twitter, as well as Bluesky, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Florida Gators news, notes and opinions.
RIVERVIEW, Fla. (CBS12) — A Florida man was arrested after investigators linked him to a fatal fentanyl overdose that occurred in December.
The Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office said deputies responded Dec. 29, 2025, to a home on Balm Boyette Road in Riverview, where they discovered the body of a woman identified as 43-year-old Grace Remington. Investigators determined she died from a fentanyl overdose.
See also: Man killed, grandson arrested after family dispute leads to quadruple shooting in PBC
According to the sheriff’s office, the investigation revealed that Aaron Lee Morris had delivered the fentanyl to Remington before her death. Toxicology results showed a fatal amount of the drug in her system.
On Tuesday, HCSO’s Opioid Overdose Investigation Section arrested Morris, 46, and charged him with first-degree murder resulting from the unlawful distribution of a controlled substance.
“Fentanyl continues to destroy lives and devastate families in our community,” Sheriff Chad Chronister said. “If you choose to distribute this deadly poison, you will be held accountable for the lives lost as a result of your actions.”
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