Trial begins for Daytona Beach man accused of 'catfishing,' killing man
A prosecutor said Jakari Webb used pictures of an Orlando man to 'catfish' Telan Mann to a meeting and then shot him seven times.
A prosecutor told jurors Tuesday that he did not know why one man "catfished" and then gunned down another, but he would be able to show that he was the killer.
Jakari Webb, 21, was charged with first-degree murder in the killing Telan Mann, 19, on June 23, 2022. Webb is being held without bail at the Volusia County Jail.
Assistant State Attorney Mark Interlicchio said Webb pretended to be someone else, using pictures from the internet of an Orlando man, a ploy known as "catfishing."
“The defendant, don’t know why, lures him out and shoots him seven times,” Interlicchio told jurors.
One of the gunshot wounds from the 9 mm pistol was fatal, causing Mann to bleed out.
Interlicchio showed crime scene photos of Mann on the sidewalk near Oak Tree Circle and Forest Glen Boulevard. Small yellow numbered markers indicated where police found shell casings, Mann's cellphone and other items.
Webb's defense attorney, Gordon Fenderson, said that while the state could show there was a homicide, they could not link Webb to the shooting.
"One of the things the evidence does not do is connect this crime to Mr. Webb," Fenderson said.
While a motive has not been discussed at trial, Webb claimed to police the shooting was retribution, according to a a charging affidavit.
Webb told police Mann “started saying Webb was gay a couple years ago and that some people began to believe it,” the affidavit stated. Webb then admitted to creating a fake Instagram account to “get back” at Mann.
According to the affidavit, Webb and Mann messaged each other more than 170 times between 11:30 p.m. June 22 and 1:51 a.m. June 23, just before Mann was killed.
Mann suggested at 1:33 a.m. that Webb meet him at Oak Tree Circle.
A few minutes later, Mann told Webb to “hurry up” and asked where he was, to which Webb replied he was “passing Sunoco.”
Webb then asked what Mann was wearing.
At 1:49 a.m., Webb told Mann he was “outside,” to which Mann replied he, too, was standing outside.
At 1:51 a.m. Webb asked Mann to “come to side walk.” Mann replied and “okay.”
Mann's last message stated: “That’s you hiding.”
The trial continues Wednesday.