Leesburg, FL – A Lake County jury found 32-year-old Darion Dontae McGee of Leesburg guilty of first-degree murder in the death of 38-year-old Mustafa Hasan Connelly. McGee faces a mandatory life sentence for shooting and setting his robbery partner on fire, according to reports.
On December 17, 2021, Lake County Sheriff’s Office deputies responded to a vacant lot known as “the Car Wash” at 1645 Veech Rd., Leesburg, after a caller reported hearing three to five gunshots and seeing a person set on fire. Deputies found an unidentified male, later identified as Connelly, deceased and burning near the passenger side of a vehicle. After extinguishing the fire, authorities observed gunshot wounds to Connelly’s back and collected several 9mm shell casings near the rear passenger side of the vehicle, indicating an ambush and intentional killing. Additional evidence included a latent fingerprint lifted from the vehicle.
Investigators determined Connelly had been communicating with McGee earlier that day and planned to meet. Phone records placed McGee at the crime scene, and a conversation showed he requested a face-to-face meeting. The fingerprint from the vehicle matched McGee’s, leading to his arrest warrant.
Assistant State Attorneys Thomas Wieczorek and Nicholas Camuccio prosecuted the case.
Source: Press State Attorney for the Fifth Judicial Circuit of Florida
https://5starcarsinc.com/
