Michael Conrad, a 20-year-old White man from Clearwater, Florida, lost his life in a violent encounter on July 6, 2022. The shooting was the tragic outcome of a romantic rivalry, as Conrad and his killer were involved with the same woman.
In the early morning hours, around 2 a.m., Stuart Beck arrived at the Bay Cove Apartments on U.S. Highway 19 North. Investigators reported that Beck, then 21, broke down the front door of an apartment and shot Conrad.
Emergency responders rushed Conrad to Morton Plant Hospital, but he died from a gunshot wound. Police quickly identified Beck as the suspect and arrested him the following day in Pasco County. He was booked into jail and initially charged with first-degree murder.
The case took another turn weeks later when Michael Conrad’s grandmother, Peggy Camarillo, was arrested. The 58-year-old was charged with tampering with a witness after she allegedly used social media to send threatening messages to a woman who was at the apartment complex during the shooting. In one message, Camarillo wrote, “I have to bury my baby in a couple of days and you know how hard that is going to be I will not be responsible for my actions.”
Stuart Beck’s trial began in July 2026. Prosecutors argued for a first-degree murder conviction, but the defense presented other theories, including that the killing happened in the heat of the moment. After deliberating for less than two hours, a jury convicted Beck of second-degree murder. The verdict indicated the jurors believed the killing was not premeditated but was committed with "malice or extreme indifference to human life."
On October 9, 2026, Pinellas-Pasco Judge Philippe Matthey sentenced Stuart Beck to 30 years in prison, a sentence that exceeded the state's 25-year mandatory minimum for the charge. The sentencing concluded the legal proceedings in the case as of October 2026.
