Jakari D. Webb, right, killed Telan K. Mann, left. Webb was immediately sentenced to life in prison without parole. (Victim’s photo from his obituary; suspect’s mug shot from prosecutors)
A Florida man was sentenced to life in a “catfishing” scheme to lure out and kill a 19-year-old gay man because he thought the victim had been spreading rumors that he was a homosexual.
Jakari D. Webb, 21, was found guilty of first-degree murder with a firearm in the killing of Telan K. Mann, 19. Webb was immediately sentenced to life in prison without parole.
“The defendant’s execution of our victim was a classic example of premeditation,” State Attorney R.J. Larizza said about the case in a statement. “He lay in wait, armed with a semi-automatic handgun. The fact that he shot our victim nine times leaves no doubt that his sole intention was murder.”
Webb’s defense attorney said the authorities could not link Webb to the murder, the Daytona Beach News-Journal reported.
But through court documents and testimony from investigators, authorities said they linked the defendant’s cellphone to the murder weapon, the victim and the homicide, and video surveillance tracked the defendant arriving and running away from the crime scene to a home, according to court documents.
Mann was killed on June 23, 2022. Officers patrolling an area near Oak Tree Circle and Forest Glen Boulevard in Daytona Beach heard gunshots and found Mann’s bullet-riddled body on a sidewalk in a pool of blood just before 2 a.m. Police said six empty shell casings lying around the victim gave the appearance the suspect was either with the victim or had been waiting for the victim before the shooting. Webb was arrested days later.
An affidavit showed a text thread between Webb and Mann to meet up — the victim’s final moments. Video footage showed Webb kneeling behind a grass hill at the corner of Oak Tree and Forest Glen, concealing himself from the victim, the affidavit said.
Video shows the victim walking around the small grass hill and the defendant firing multiple shots at him before fleeing. Detectives said they found video surveillance of the defendant running through the city of Daytona Beach Public Works parking lots and video showing him shirtless, holding a light-colored sweater and a black shirt, and hiding in bushes on the property.
In a Ring doorbell video, he was seen running into a yard, hiding behind an RV and then reemerging and ducking into a wood line as a vehicle passed, the document said.
After his arrest, Webb told investigators a shifting story about his whereabouts at the time of the murder, court documents said. When a detective confronted him about his inconsistencies and said police had video tracking his whereabouts, Webb pretended not to know what the detective was talking about.
“But after further interviewing,” the affidavit said, “Webb admitted to shooting Telan Mann and claimed it to be self-defense due to Telan Mann attacking him with a knife.”
Webb said he took the knife after he shot Mann before admitting the victim did not have a knife, the affidavit said.
Webb admitted to talking to Mann online since February 2022 through a fake Instagram account, court documents said describing the “catfishing” scheme. Webb also told police that Mann started saying Webb was gay and that some people began to believe it, the documents said.
“So Webb advised he created the fake Instagram to get back at Telan Mann,” the affidavit said.
He said the shooting was an accident and admitted the 9 mm handgun found underneath a basketball hoop was the firearm used to kill him, court documents said.
Mann’s obituary said he tried to live a life with peace and love.
“He loved people and the need to feel loved, he was always smiling, cheerful and was all about family,” the obit said.
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