Quenton Spears, 18, of Sarasota was fatally shot after a confrontation on July 11, 2015, at the Family Inn on North Tamiami Trail. Spears had been visiting to spend the night with childhood friend Devontae Robinson and Robinson’s family. An argument between Spears and Robinson outside the room escalated; a shot was fired inside the room and Spears was taken to Sarasota Memorial Hospital with life‑threatening injuries and later died.

Investigators initially treated the incident as a shooting and later reclassified it as a murder investigation. Witness accounts and evidence at the scene, including a firearm found by an independent witness, pointed to Robinson’s involvement. Robinson was arrested and charged with manslaughter and tampering with evidence. His father, Nathaniel Robinson, testified he was in the bathroom when the shot was fired and that he found Spears on the floor and his son ducking down with his back toward him.

In February 2017 a jury found Devontae Robinson guilty of manslaughter; sentencing was set for March 2017. Does anyone have additional information about Spears, the night at the Family Inn, or witnesses who were there?