Daytona Beach Man Sentenced to 20 Years in Prison After Murdering Roommate

During a hearing this week in Volusia County, defendant Durian Atwaters pled no contest to Second-Degree Murder and was sentenced to 20 years in prison.

According to the Florida’s 7th District State Attorney announced the plea. Atwaters faced a prosecution team that possessed surveillance footage from a 7-Eleven in Daytona Beach during the early morning hours of August 9, 2022. The footage shows Atwaters arguing with his former roommate outside a convenience store off of Ridgewood Ave.

Atwaters then approached the unarmed victim, Rickey Shelhorse Jr. with a knife and stabbed him in the chest before running away from the scene. Several people called 911 to report that they found Shelhorse Jr. bleeding on the road, but he died at the scene soon after first responders arrived.

The case was investigated by the Daytona Beach Police Department. Assistant State Attorney Kevin Sullivan successfully prosecuted the case for the state. The Honorable Raul Zambrano presided over the case and pronounced sentence.