JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — A Jacksonville man has been found guilty in the fatal shooting of his girlfriend in 2020.
Daisean Biffle, who was 23 at the time, killed Ebony Nichols, 22, when he shot her at an Amazon warehouse in North Jacksonville on Sept. 30, 2020.
According to his arrest warrant, Biffle was seen on surveillance walking around the warehouse, appearing to be looking for someone. Video then showed him and Nichols walking down a hallway. He took the gun out of his right pocket, and she tried to run.
Biffle "aggressively" followed Nichols, and people in the area began to run from him. Police say he shot her while she attempted to run up the stairs away from him.
He then shot himself in the head.
In 2021, the assistant public defender in his case, Teri Sopp, attempted to argue that any statements he made during police interview should be suppressed because he wasn't cognizant enough to consent or waive his rights, after he had been injured and given painkillers.
Sopp called Tampa-based pharmacologist Dr. Daniel Buffington to testify. He noted that aside from being potentially impaired by drugs, Biffle had suffered a traumatic brain injury when he shot himself in the head.
“It would be inappropriate to ask this individual questions,” he testified. “He could barely even formulate words to the responses.”
The argument was ultimately deemed insufficient.
Biffle was initially charged with second-degree murder related to domestic violence, but his charges were upgraded to first-degree murder.
He was found guilty of first degree murder on Wednesday. In Florida, first degree murder charges typically carry a life sentence.
He will be sentenced on March 15.
