Colton Moore, 21, was sentenced Tuesday for the Dec. 29, 2023 murder of Derek “Dibbs” Pitts.
A man was given a 45-year prison sentence followed by five years of probation in Duval County court for fatally shooting a teenager during a Jacksonville pool party in 2023.
Colton Moore, 21, received his sentence for the killing of 16-year-old Derek “Dibbs” Pitts, having pleaded guilty to second-degree murder. The judge accounted for 580 days of time already served.
On December 29, 2023, at approximately 11:40 p.m., Jacksonville sheriff’s officers arrived at Coopers Hawk Apartments on Old St. Augustine Road to discover Pitts had been shot.
Members of the Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department then responded to the scene and took Pitts to a local hospital where he died.
According to his aunt Bernadette Howarth, Pitts was at a party with a group of kids when he was killed.
“There was supposedly some argument or disagreement and the people left,” Howarth previously told First Coast News.
Authorities reported that a significant gathering of juveniles was at the party when a dispute broke out between two groups. Amid the conflict, Moore brandished a firearm, shot Pitts, and escaped on foot. Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office mentioned numerous witnesses were held and taken to the Police Memorial Building for questioning.
“We called him ‘Dibbs.’ His father came up with that nickname when he was an infant,” Howarth explained. “I’m not really sure of its origin, but it remained… just a cheerful, amusing kid.”
Pitts’ family had offered a reward of $10,000 for information relating to the teen’s shooting death.
Feb. 1, 2025 would have been Pitts’ 18th birthday.
