Boy, 14, found shot to death to be laid to rest; grandfather says he wants to help killer find new path

TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) —The family of Jevario Buie is preparing to lay him to rest on Saturday. The 14-year-old was found shot to death in Tampa on April 17.

His body was found near the railroad tracks between Busch Boulevard and Rome Avenue.

“He was shot multiple times, he was mutilated, he was beat, he was done really, really bad,” Michael Baldwin, Jevario’s grandfather.

Baldwin said he wants to meet his grandson’s killer to find out what was motivating their anger.

Baldwin was incarcerated when Jevario, his first grandchild was born.

“When I came home about a little bit more than five years ago, I couldn’t wait to see him,” Baldwin recalled.

“We built this really strong and communicative relationship,” he added. “I would talk to him about man stuff, about growing up and the things he should avoid, the things that were dangerous for him, and I gave him the real talk, the straight talk.”

At the age of 14, Baldwin said he became a drug addict and his life spiraled downhill.

“Eventually, I got caught up in a crime that involved some kidnapping and moving people from one place to another and some assaults that took place, and I would eventually spend 26 years in prison—26 years, 7 months, and 17 days to be exact,” he said.

Baldwin, 52, was paroled from a California prison in October 2018. He’s been on a road to redemption ever since. He began working as a paralegal and opened a consulting business to advocate for others.

“The perpetrators of this crime against me and my family and against Jevario, I want to meet them,” Baldwin said. “I want to help them discover some of the things that I discovered. I want to help them find a new way, a new path. What I intend on doing is not allowing Jevario to die in vain.”

“If somebody shot me that many times, you probably could look at my past and see the dirt that I’ve done and make some people justify doing something like that to me, but not him, he did not have that coming,” he added.

Baldwin believes in second chances.

“I believe that we are redeemable as human beings that we do deserve second chances, but we first have to take care of ourselves,” he said.

Baldwin said his first focus is supporting his family through the tremendous grief. Then he plans to bring his youth program to Tampa.

“We could predict and help shape it to where our kids don’t have to use this as a rite of passage, shooting a gun or drinking alcohol or joining a gang,” said Baldwin.

Buie’s funeral is on Saturday. Baldwin said he personally invited Chief Lee Bercaw and State Attorney Suzy Lopez to attend the service.

With the shooter still out there, Crime Stoppers of Tampa is offering a $5,000 reward for a tip that leads to an arrest. In addition, Buie’s family is offering a $2,000 reward.

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