Life in prison for man who committed murder during Lehigh Acres robbery

Writer: Rachel Murphy
Published: Updated:
life in prison
Dexter Leonard Thomas (CREDIT: Lee County Sheriff’s Office)

A man has been given two life in prison sentences — one for first-degree premeditated murder and another for first-degree burglary with assault or battery with a firearm– plus 30 years in prison for conspiracy to commit first-degree burglary, for a deadly home invasion robbery.

Dexter Leonard Thomas was found guilty in August following a five-day trial in Lee County. The State Attorney’s Office Cold Case Homicide Unit in partnership with the Lee County Sheriff’s Office investigated the crime.

On Feb. 21, 2015, the Lee County Sheriff’s Office received a 911 call from a woman who stated
that someone had entered her Lehigh Acres home and shot a person.

Deputies immediately responded to the home and found no suspects inside. In the master bedroom, they found the victim who had been shot. The victim died a short time later. A woman was hiding under the bed and five juveniles who resided there were also at home. They were all unharmed.

The investigation determined entry was made into the home by prying open the rear sliding glass door and breaking an attached metal security gate.

The defendant, wearing a mask and a knit cap to conceal his identity, entered the master bedroom where the male victim was sleeping and the woman was awake. The suspect demanded money, rummaging through the room, and then shot the victim before fleeing. The suspect could not be immediately identified.

Two co-defendants, Tiphanie Dawn Sager and Antonio Crews, have already been sentenced for their role in the crime.

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