A Florida jury has found 52-year-old Sheila Agee guilty of principal to first-degree premeditated murder for her role in the 2023 killing of 18-year-old Brooklyn Sims, the mother of her grandchild. The verdict brings a disturbing and deeply layered murder case to a close, one that unfolded with text messages, family betrayal, and a fatal shooting inside a Home Depot in broad daylight.

Sims, who was working a shift as an inventory contractor on August 11, 2023, was shot at least seven times in aisle 52 by her ex-boyfriend and father of her child, Keith Agee. He had driven across state lines from Alabama, and prosecutors say he did so with guidance and encouragement from his mother. Sheila Agee not only texted him Sims’ location but provided him with a map of the store and instructions on when and where to carry out the killing.

The prosecution presented a barrage of text messages that painted a grim portrait of premeditation. In one, Sheila Agee goaded her son: “If you don’t come kill her you a mf b—-.” In others, she warned him not to shoot until she was out of the car, texted logistical details, and even suggested an alternate location to avoid carrying out the killing in front of their shared grandchild.

What unfolded in the Home Depot was the culmination of those exchanges. According to court testimony, Keith Agee had received a call earlier that day informing him he tested positive for a sexually transmitted disease and believed Sims was the source. Prosecutors later confirmed that Sims had tested negative days earlier and had even sent the results to Sheila Agee, a fact withheld from Keith until after the murder.

In December 2023, Keith Agee was convicted on first-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. His mother’s trial wasn’t as straight forward. Things went off the rails in November 2024 when jurors were unable to reach a consensus due to a variety of issues. Supposedly one juror spent the deliberation playing crossword puzzles, and another juror claimed that racial tensions spread throughout their deliberations. At the end of the day the jurors left without reaching a verdict.

Agee’s recent retrial lasted three days. After closing arguments, the jury returned a swift verdict—guilty—after only three hours of deliberation. Sheila Agee was immediately sentenced to life in prison.

When the verdict was finally reached it was clear in the courtroom that this case has been weighing heavily on the family of Brooklyn Sims. Sims’ mother delivered a victim impact statement where she discussed the deep, soul shaking pain and loss that she suffered at the hands of Agee and her son.