BAKER COUNTY, Fla. — On Feb. 3, 2018, D.J. Broadus of Jacksonville was shot and killed at Garder Fraser’s home in Baker County.
Fraser called the police and admitted he shot a man who had attacked him at his home.
The investigation revealed that Broadus was rolled over onto his back after being shot multiple times and that his cell phone was missing. To this day, Broadus’s phone has never been found.
Once police obtained a warrant, forensic analysis of Fraser’s phone revealed he and Broadus had an intimate relationship.
Between July 2017 and February 2018, 35 texts and 115 phone calls were exchanged. Images and the conversations were sexual in nature, according to investigators.
Phone records showed Broadus called Fraser less than 30 minutes before the 911 call was placed.
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Fraser was eventually charged with tampering with evidence.
Police said he got rid of Broadus’s phone to keep their relationship a secret. Fraser, the son of a retired deputy, has no criminal history and worked as a registered nurse.
A judge sentenced Fraser to one year in jail and four years of probation for the evidence tampering charge. During the sentencing hearing, Fraser’s lawyer said Broadus was the aggressor and Fraser was defending himself.
D.J. Broadus’s father, Dominic, said after the hearing “I can’t see it in my heart to forgive him because he hadn’t shown any remorse yet.”
The Broadus family is pushing the State Attorney’s office for additional charges.
The State Attorney’s office released a statement about the charges filed.
“We have an ethical and legal obligation to investigate and file charges only for those offenses we can prove beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. An extensive investigation into the death of Dominic Broadus Jr. determined Broadus showed up unannounced and uninvited to Fraser’s home and private property and initiated a physical altercation that led to the shooting. The evidence in this case, Fraser’s unwavering claims of self-defense, and Florida law do not provide a path for any charge beyond Felony Tampering with Evidence.”
Because of conflicts of interest, Governor Ron Desantis appointed State Attorney Melissa Nelson’s office to handle the case.
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