David Lee, 44, a white male from Middleburg, Florida, was found dead alongside his wife, Brandi Smith 45, inside their home in the area of Silver Point near County Road 220 in the early hours of August 4, 2025. Responding to the residence after a pre-dawn tip, Clay County Sheriff's Office deputies discovered both victims in their bedroom with multiple gunshot wounds; investigators documented several spent shell casings in the room. Sheriff Michelle Cook publicly confirmed the discovery and the basic timeline of events that morning.
In the minutes surrounding the killings, the couple's 14-year-old son, identified by local outlets as Trevor Lee, walked to a nearby church—reported as CrossPointe Church in Fleming Island—where he called 911 and confessed. Deputies met him there, took him into custody without incident, and then traced the call back to the family's home. Early reporting and sheriff's briefings described a domestic argument preceding the shootings; authorities also stated the teen used a firearm from the household.
As the investigation progressed, prosecutors secured an indictment charging the juvenile with first-degree murder in the deaths of David Lee, 44, male, and Brandi Smith, 45. Coverage of the subsequent proceedings emphasized the gravity of the charges and the rarity of such a case in the community, while noting the initial confession and physical evidence recovered from the bedroom. Memorial and obituary notices in the weeks that followed confirmed the victims' identities, ages, and date of death as Sunday, August 4, 2025.
