KEY WEST, Fla. – A Key West strip mall owner accused of shooting and killing a 21-year-old man urinating on the side of his building has had his murder charge upgraded following an indictment by a Monroe County grand jury.
The indictment against Lloyd Preston Brewer III was issued Thursday in Monroe County court.
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Originally charged with second-degree murder in the death of Garrett Hughes, Brewer has now been charged with first-degree murder, in addition to counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and violation of a concealed firearm permit.
Prosecutors allege that Brewer, 57, shot and killed Hughes just before 12:30 a.m. on Feb. 13 after confronting a shirtless and unarmed Hughes for urinating behind Conch Town Liquor & Lounge at 3340 N. Roosevelt Blvd.
The bar is a tenant of a multi-storefront building at the Searstown shopping center owned by Brewer and his family.
Brewer tried to claim self-defense following the shooting, but prosecutors said video evidence contradicted that claim. In interrogation footage obtained by Local 10 News, Brewer told Key West police detectives: “I stood my ground.”
He remains held in the Monroe County Jail without bond, according to jail records. The next hearing in the case is scheduled for July 7.