Man pleads guilty to 2022 beating death of Clearwater man

A man pleaded guilty to first-degree murder for beating the death of a bicyclist on Clearwater Beach in 2022.

Jermaine Bennett entered a guilty plea on March 22, according to court filings with the Pinellas County Clerk of Court.

Bennett was pled guilty to the beating death of Jeffery Chapman.

Chapman's body was found on the 700 block of Mandalay Avenue just after midnight on Oct. 21, 2022.

Clearwater Police said Bennett beat him with a long metal tool similar to a tire iron. Chapman was found dead at the scene with severe trauma to the upper body.

Bennett was scheduled to have a jury trial in February of 2025, according to court records.

Bennett was sentenced to life in prison with no possibility of parole.

Savonne Morrison, 18, of Land O' Lakes, was also arrested as an alleged accomplice to the crime. Morrison is accused of pushing Chapman from his bike before Bennett beat him.

Morrison remains in jail. His jury trial is scheduled for Jan. 13, 2025, according to court records.

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