Eight men accused of committing eight murders as part of a Broward gang were officially charged in court Wednesday, capping a 10-month investigation that officials say began with a fingerprint.
Terrance Farrington Jr. was killed outside a Best Buy in Plantation last Jan. 20, and investigators said they found a fingerprint left behind by Sigmund Brown, 27, a Hollywood man with a history of arrests for drugs, burglaries and domestic violence.
Brown is a suspected leader of the Dania Hot Boyz, also known as the Grand Mafia, which led law enforcement officials to question whether there was a connection between Farrington’s murder and other open cases.
The Broward Sheriff’s Office Gang Investigations Task Force met with prosecutors from the Broward State Attorney’s Office and began comparing notes, eventually connecting seven other homicides and seven other suspects. The accused gang members also face charges of attempted murder and racketeering.
The earliest murder took place in September 2021 in Hallandale Beach. The most recent was Jan. 28, 2024, in Miramar.
The first victim was named Wisdom Williams. The following murders were: Antjuan Dobard, killed April 9, 2023, in Pembroke Park; Vernaldo Donner and Terri McKenzie, shot and killed May 9, 2023, near Interstate 95 in Fort Lauderdale; Wayne Smith, shot on July 15, 2023, in Hallandale Beach; Dorothy Smart, shot and killed in the driveway of her home Sept. 13, 2023, in Fort Lauderdale; Farrington, who died outside the Best Buy in Plantation on Jan. 20 this year; and Johnnie Henderson, shot and killed in Miramar on Jan. 28.
“Our community is a safer place today because of this joint investigation with our law enforcement partners,” State Attorney Harold Pryor said in a news release. “Eight homicides and more than a dozen attempted murders – including the slayings of innocent civilians – are solved and illegal firearms have been seized from convicted criminals.”
The defendants, in addition to Brown, are Kevaris Johnson, 23, of West Park; Gerard Charles, 30, of Hollywood; Vondarious Davis, 29, of Fort Lauderdale; Rajah Rolle, 16, of Tamarac; Tyriq Jackson, 24, of Coral Springs; Jared McCabe, 25, of Fort Lauderdale; and Trayvon Key, 27, of Dania Beach.
“I applaud the work of the dedicated detectives, the valuable assistance from the State Attorney’s Office and collaboration with our law enforcement partners to rid Broward County of these heartless, violent criminals whose evil and cruel acts took innocent lives and placed communities in fear,” Sheriff Gregory Tony said.
The defendants appeared before Broward Circuit Judge Bernard Bober Wednesday where they formally pleaded not guilty. They are due back in court in January.
Rafael Olmeda can be reached at rolmeda@sunsentinel.com or 954-356-4457. Follow him on Threads.net/@rafael.olmeda