Jacqulyn Brooks, aged 71, tragically passed away on April 18, 2015, in Ponce-de-Leon, Florida. Her death was the result of a violent incident that also involved her husband, Sheley Glenn Brooks. On the evening of April 18, 2015, the Holmes County Sheriff’s Office responded to a call regarding a possible homicide at the Brooks' residence on Grant Road. Upon arrival, law enforcement and emergency medical services discovered Jacqulyn Brooks deceased from gunshot wounds to the head. Her husband, Sheley Glenn Brooks, was found with life-threatening injuries and was transported to a hospital in Bay County.
The investigation quickly identified Joshua Brandyn Gaskey, a 28-year-old from Pensacola, Florida, as the primary suspect. Gaskey was apprehended in Escambia County and charged with multiple offenses, including first-degree murder, robbery with a firearm, and armed burglary. The motive behind the crime was determined to be Gaskey's intent to obtain prescription medication from Mrs. Brooks. The case was thoroughly investigated by the Holmes County Sheriff’s Department with assistance from the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and other local law enforcement agencies.
In July 2017, after a week-long trial, Joshua Gaskey was found guilty of the charges against him. The evidence presented by the prosecution, led by Assistant State Attorneys Brandon Young and Larry Basford, demonstrated that Gaskey had killed both Jacqulyn and Sheley Glenn Brooks in their home. Although the State Attorney’s Office sought the death penalty, the jury ultimately sentenced Gaskey to two consecutive life terms without the possibility of parole. This verdict brought some measure of justice for the Brooks family and the community of Ponce-de-Leon, who were deeply affected by this senseless act of violence.
