Staff report
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Dennis James Butler, 53, will spend the rest of his life in prison after an Alachua County jury convicted him of second-degree homicide.
According to prosecutors, the victim arrived at Butler’s residence at 110 NE 22nd Street around 1:17 p.m. on Nov. 8, 2022. Butler was seated in a Lexus sedan in the driveway, facing the street.
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Butler allegedly fired eight shots at the victim before leaving the area. He later discarded his cellphone in northeast Gainesville; law enforcement eventually recovered it. Butler was arrested Nov. 15 on an unrelated charge, and prosecutors filed the second-degree homicide case in December 2022. He had remained in the Alachua County Jail since his arrest.
The jury determined that Butler was guilty of second-degree homicide and that he possessed and discharged a firearm, causing the death of Steven Robinson.
On Oct. 26, Judge Peter Sieg sentenced Butler to life in prison.
