JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — A Jacksonville teen who has been in jail since he was 15 years old learned his fate on his 18th birthday.
In 2021, De'Andre McCray was arrested and charged as an adult for the murder of 16-year-old Siradus Sirmans.
He changed his plea to guilty in February 2024 and was sentenced Tuesday. McCray was sentenced to 35 years in prison, but because he was a juvenile at the time, he will be able to appeal his sentence in 25 years.
Sirmans was found dead in Woodstock Park on W. Beaver Street on June 8, 2021. He had a gunshot wound to the neck.
Witnesses called told police they saw a teen in a red jacket confronting Sirmans.
A warrant for McCray's arrest read: "The witnesses stated that words were exchanged and that the suspect spit on the victim... When the victim moved toward the suspect for spitting on him, the suspect pulled out a gun, shot the victim and fled the scene with the firearm."
Other witnesses told police they were with McCray, but left when an argument begin. They heard gunfire and saw McCray and three friends who were with him fleeing. They identified him to police and told them what he was wearing.
The Florida Times-Union reported that Sirmans was a student at Raines High School, who had many passions despite his age.
"He saw even further into the future and knew he wanted to become a police officer once he graduated high school," his father wrote on a GoFundMe page. "Siradus was a role model in my eyes. He loved to help people and was always trying to better himself to be able to help even more."
