Porchia Crossley, a 32-year-old Black woman from Winter Haven, Florida, was known to friends as "Peezy P" and worked as a mixer operator at a Publix bakery. Her life was cut short on the morning of October 11, 2023, in an encounter that ended in gunfire.
That day, Crossley drove to a home on Century Boulevard in Auburndale to confront Kyle Herrington, then 21, about a disagreement reportedly over marijuana. The two knew each other and exchanged words outside the residence. When the conversation ended, Crossley turned and began walking away, back toward her vehicle. As she did, Herrington followed her and shot her from behind. Crossley suffered multiple gunshot wounds to the head and was pronounced dead at the scene when police arrived around 8:45 a.m.
Officers found Herrington at the scene, still on the phone with 9-1-1. He identified himself as the shooter and was taken into custody for questioning.
Herrington told detectives that Crossley had attacked him and that he had shot her in self-defense, claiming it was a "Stand Your Ground" incident. However, investigators from the Auburndale Police Department located video evidence that contradicted his statement.
The video footage showed Crossley walking away from Herrington when he followed and fired approximately three to four shots, killing her instantly. Based on this evidence, Kyle Herrington was arrested and charged with second-degree murder.
At trial, prosecutors presented the video to the jury, arguing that it proved the shooting was an unprovoked attack on a woman who was retreating. The jury rejected Herrington's self-defense claim. In February 2026, a Polk County jury found Kyle Herrington guilty of second-degree murder in the death of Porchia Crossley. As of that month, he was awaiting sentencing.
