John Dees, a 34-year-old white male and U.S. Army veteran, was found dead on January 13, 2020, in a wooded area off Pecan Road in Tallahassee, FL. Dees, who had served in Iraq and struggled with post-traumatic stress disorder and addiction, was living in an apartment on Mission Road at the time of his death. His body was discovered with gunshot wounds to the head and arm, and he had no wallet or phone on him, which initially made identification difficult.
The Tallahassee Police Department (TPD) released composite photos to help identify him, and his identity was later confirmed by family and friends.
The investigation into John Dees' death led to the arrest of Sherill Victoria Conner, a 51-year-old woman who was charged as an accessory after the fact in the first-degree murder. Conner, who had rented a room to Dees, called the police on the night of January 9, 2020, to report that Dees had become loud and combative. However, officers determined that Dees had residency rights and could not be forced to leave without a legal eviction. After the officers left, Conner called her co-defendant, Cleveland McNair, to remove Dees from the apartment. Surveillance footage showed a dark-colored car arriving at Conner's apartment, with McNair and another unidentified man taking Dees away. Less than an hour later, the vehicle returned, and Conner was seen inspecting the backseat before the three individuals went back to her apartment.
Further investigation revealed that Conner had lied to law enforcement about her knowledge of Dees' whereabouts and the identities of the men involved. She eventually admitted to knowing the men, calling them over, and destroying Dees' belongings. Conner was found guilty by a jury of being an accessory after the fact in the first-degree murder following a two-day trial. She is set to appear in court again for a case management hearing.
Cleveland McNair, 40, was arrested a month after Conner on a charge of first-degree murder. However, he was found guilty of a lesser charge of manslaughter after a two-day trial and was sentenced to 13 years in prison. He is currently serving his sentence at the Bay Correctional Facility in Panama City. The investigation is ongoing, with TPD's Violent Crimes Unit anticipating additional arrests as they continue to seek justice for John Dees.
