Leilani Ashantae Brown testified for the state on July 7 and told the court that her co-defendant – Dexavion J’Neil Brown – shot and killed 17-year-old Lezarius Graham on June 6, 2023.
On July 8, Davinci Cheesman Dawson testified for the defense and said he was the shooter.
That was among the developments in court on July 8, the third day of Dexavion Brown’s murder trial.
The victim’s body was discovered in the woods in the 2100 block of Northwest 43rd Street. The teen was reported missing after failing to show up for work and his body was discovered hours later.
Testifying for the prosecution, Leilani Brown – no relation to her co-defendant – said she was the getaway driver and Dexavion Brown was the shooter. She said he hid in the trunk of the car she was driving and shot the victim when he got in.
Dexavion Brown, 26, is charged with first-degree murder with a firearm, attempted first-degree murder with a firearm and tampering with an electronic device.
Leilani Brown, 22, is charged with first-degree murder with a firearm and grand theft auto in the teen’s shooting. Her case is pending. If convicted, she faces life in prison.
Defense lawyer A. Antonio Tomas delivered his opening statement to jurors on July 8. He had deferred on July 7. Tomas said Dawson was the gunman and had written a letter to that effect in April 2025.
Dawson is currently serving a 30-year prison term in a separate case. In that case, the victim was 18-year-old Tylique Le’John Christie, who was shot in the 4400 block of Northwest 22nd Avenue. Christie later died. The shooting occurred in June 2023.
Dawson pleaded no contest in May 2025 to charges of first-degree murder with a firearm, grand theft of a motor vehicle, principal to grand theft of a motor vehicle, burglary of conveyance with firearm, and principal to petit theft.
Luis Alexander Figueroa Tirado was accused of being the shooter. Dawson was implicated in the case, which was investigated by Marion County Sheriff’s Office detectives.
On the witness stand
Now 20, Dawson delivered profanity-laced testimony on July 8, with liberal use of slang.
He said he, not Dexavion Brown, was the one who shot at another man in an Ocala store parking lot back in June 2023. Detectives said Brown and another man were in a Toyota Corolla and they fired shots at a rival gang member who escaped unharmed.
That car, which Leilani Ashantae Brown is accused of stealing, was later used in the fatal shooting, authorities said.
Dawson said Leilani Ashantae Brown, the defendant, and two others were in the car when he fired the shots at the man.
After that shooting, Dawson said, he pointed the gun at Dexavion Brown’s head and ordered him to drive. He said no one in the car knew he was going to shoot at the man, who he alleged was in another gang.
Dawson said he realized Dexavion Brown was wearing an ankle monitoring device and threatened to kill him if he didn’t remove it. He said Brown had to take it off because it was tracking their location.
Dawson said he knew Leilani Ashantae Brown and they were in a sexual relationship. He said they went to a recording studio and dropped off Dexavion Brown and a second man, later identified as Curnelius Andrew Brown – no relation to the other Browns in this case.
Dawson said Leilani Ashantae Brown told him she knew who they could rob and mentioned Lezarius Graham. He said he heard of Graham dissing his gang in a song and believed it was his opportunity to kill him.
Dawson said he and Leilani Brown set up a meeting with Lezarius Graham. He said he hid in the trunk and when the woman pulled up to the location, the teen got into the vehicle.
Dawson said he pulled down the back seat and shot the teen. He said both the woman and the victim hopped out the vehicle. He said he managed to stop the car and he and the woman drove away.
Cross-examination of the defense witness
On cross-examination, Assistant State Attorney Amy Berndt asked Dawson if he and the defendant shared a cell at the Marion County Jail for three months. He said yes.
She also noted that Dawson and Curnelius Andrew Brown were in the same pod at the county jail many times, up until last week.
The prosecutor said Dawson has told the story about shooting Lezarius Graham three different times. She asked if he was telling the truth now or lying in the past. He said he’s telling the truth now.
Berndt said Dawson claimed Lezarius Graham was shot three times. But the medical examiner testified that the teen was shot only once.
Prosecutor Berndt also took issue with the timeline Dawson presented concerning his sexual relationship with Leilani Brown, noting the time Brown was in foster care. Dawson said while he didn’t know the woman had been in foster care, he insists they were in a relationship.
Second defense witness
Curnelius Andrew Brown testified that Dawson shot at the man in the non-fatal case and “everyone was confused.”
He said Dawson threatened to shoot them if Dexavion Brown didn’t cut off the electronic device. Curnelius Brown said he never told anyone about what happened because he was scared.
Court records show Curnelius Brown, 20, is charged with second-degree murder with a firearm, possession of a firearm by delinquent, and possession of a short-barreled gun rifle machine gun. He’s accused of shooting and killing Ja’Narre Suggs, 21, on Dec. 25, 2025. His case is pending.
On cross-examination, Assistant State Attorney Rich Buxman asked Curnelius Brown how many shots were fired in the non-fatal shooting. The witness said he doesn’t remember.
Prosecution case
Prosecutors began their case on July 7 and rested before 2 p.m. on July 8. Before doing so, they called multiple witnesses, including Sgt. Kip Peterson, the lead detective, and a gang expert.
Prosecutors displayed a map on three large-screen television monitors in the courtroom. Using data from Dexavion Brown’s ankle monitoring device, images collected throughout the city of Ocala and Marion County, and other sources, prosecutors pinpointed the locations, dates, times and even speed of the vehicle used in the shootings.
On cross-examination, defense attorney Tomas asked the detective if Leilani Brown knew she was a target of the investigation when law enforcement interviewed her. The detective said she was aware of the murder investigation.
The trial, which began on July 6 with jury selection, continues on July 9 with possibly more witnesses for the defense. It’s unknown if the defendant plans to testify. The state may call rebuttal witnesses. The trial is scheduled to end July 10.
Contact Austin L. Miller at austin.miller@starbanner.com
This article originally appeared on Ocala Star-Banner: Witness says he, not defendant, killed teenager in 2023 | Exclusive
Reporting by Austin L. Miller, Ocala Star-Banner / Ocala Star-Banner
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Austin L. Miller, Ocala Star-Banner | USA TODAY Network
