A jury found Jerrish Stephens guilty of second-degree murder in the 2021 killing of Gregory Lacey in Destin.
Surveillance video showed the confrontation and stabbing outside Lucky’s Rotten Apple.
Stephens received a mandatory life sentence after the jury determined he qualified as a prison releasee reoffender.
A jury in Okaloosa County has found 45-year-old Jerrish Donnell Stephens guilty of second-degree murder in the 2021 stabbing death of Gregory Lacey outside a Destin bar.
The verdict was delivered February 26, 2026, following a trial presided over by Judge Lacey Clark. After the verdict, the jury also determined that Stephens qualified as a prison releasee reoffender. Under Florida law, that designation required the court to impose a mandatory life sentence.
The case stemmed from a December 15, 2021, incident at Lucky’s Rotten Apple, located at 205 Mountain Drive in Destin.
According to investigators with the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office, deputies were called to the location shortly after midnight for reports of a stabbing in the parking lot. When deputies arrived, they found Gregory Lacey lying in the parking lot with multiple stab wounds. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
Investigators later determined the confrontation began inside the bar when two women began fighting. Surveillance video from the establishment showed the fight continuing outside in the parking lot.
Authorities say Stephens was watching the altercation when he removed an object from his pocket. At that point, Lacey approached Stephens and swung at him, leading to both men falling to the ground.
Video footage showed Stephens quickly getting on top of Lacey and striking him several times. As Lacey attempted to stand, Stephens approached him again and stabbed him multiple times, according to investigators.
After the stabbing, authorities say Stephens dragged Lacey farther into the parking lot and stood over him briefly before leaving the scene with one of the women involved in the earlier fight.
Deputies located Stephens a short distance away from the bar. During a search following his arrest, investigators recovered a knife from his possession.
Assistant State Attorney Robert Little prosecuted the case on behalf of Ginger Bowden Madden, State Attorney for Florida’s First Judicial Circuit.
Stephens was immediately sentenced to life in prison following the jury’s finding that he qualified as a prison releasee reoffender.
Pro Communi Bono
St. Francis De Sales, Ora Pro Nobis!
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