Office of the State Attorney

PRESS RELEASE

September 15, 2023     

 

State of Florida v. Brenan Robert Hill

                                                                                        

DOB: 03/19/1989

Case Number: 21-00596-CFFA

 

Flagler County Man Convicted of Murdering his Girlfriend

BUNNELL – After a five-day trial this afternoon, a Flagler County jury found defendant Brenan Hill guilty as charged of Second Degree-Murder (Firearm), Aggravated Battery Causing Serious Bodily Injury with a Firearm and Throwing Deadly Missile into Occupied Vehicle.

On the morning of March 26, 2021, Hill brought his girlfriend to the hospital after she had been shot in the head in his car. The defendant initially told police a man they didn’t know had approached his vehicle while he was parked and pulled a gun, and in the scuffle, his girlfriend was shot.

The victim arrived at the hospital in critical condition and died about 18 months later due to complications from the gunshot wound.

The Flagler County Sheriff’s Office, utilizing its Real Time Crime Center, was able to quickly determine that the defendant was not being honest about where and what happened to his girlfriend. Through the use of business surveillance cameras, FCSO was able to see the defendant exit his vehicle at a grocery store in Palm Coast before taking her to the hospital. Officers would later find the murder weapon buried under some brush in the same location where the defendant was seen exiting his car.

Detectives would also uncover cell phone videos taken by the victim showing the defendant threatening her in the months and weeks leading up to the shooting. When confronted with evidence that contradicted his story, Hill’s story of what happened continually changed until he eventually confessed to shooting the victim, but claimed it was an accident.

However, Hill’s lies did not stop there. At trial, when confronted with more evidence debunking his initial accidental shooting story, Hill yet again came up with a new version for how the gun went off accidentally.

“Domestic murder is a grim reminder of how intimate partner violence can turn deadly,” State Attorney R.J. Larizza said about the case. “There is help for those who struggle with intimate partner violence. Reach out to your local domestic violence shelters and programs for help.”

The case was investigated by the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant State Attorneys Melissa Clark and Tara Libby successfully tried the case for the state. The Honorable Terence Perkins presided over the case and will pronounce sentence on December 1, 2023, at 1:30 p.m. Hill faces up to life in prison for the crimes.

 

For more information contact: 

Haley Harrison | Multimedia Specialist/PIO | Office of State Attorney R.J. Larizza, Florida's Seventh Judicial Circuit | SAOPIO@SAO7.org