WEST PALM BEACH — Two Riviera Beach men were found guilty Wednesday of the 2020 murder of a 19-year-old man in a dispute over a stolen bike in Lake Park.
Jurors deliberated for more than nine hours over two days before finding Divien Colson and Broadus Peterkine Jr. guilty of first-degree murder in the death of Marcas Johnson on Jan. 22, 2020, in a parking lot off Northlake Boulevard. Both men were also found guilty of aggravated assault and shooting into an unoccupied vehicle.
Circuit Judge Caroline Shepherd ordered that both men be held without bond pending sentencing and scheduled a hearing for Oct. 1. Both men face up to life in prison.
The courtroom was largely silent as the verdicts were read, with Shepherd warning those in the gallery that any outbursts could result in contempt charges. Some walked out in tears moments after the verdicts were announced.
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Prosecutors: 'Zero doubt' two men meant to kill Marcas Johnson
Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office investigators reported that Peterkine, now 24, and Colson, 23, pursued Johnson's pickup on a dirt bike and fatally shot him after a fight at Tommy's Cycle shop on 10th Street.
Investigators said Johnson and his girlfriend, Paris Stokes, were searching for his stolen dirt bike that day when they arrived at the shop and found Colson standing next to the bike. A witness told investigators Colson pulled out a gun after fighting with Johnson. Peterkine eventually took the gun, and Johnson and his girlfriend left, the sheriff's office said.
Its arrest reports said the two made it about a block to the parking lot of the Tri City Plaza in the1500 block of Prosperity Farms Roadbefore Colson rode by on another dirt bike. His passenger on the bike, Peterkine, fired three shots at them, the sheriff’s office said. Two hit Johnson.
Stokes testified at the trial, describing how she and Johnson had gone out to search for Johnson's missing red-and-black bike.
In her closing remarks Tuesday morning, Assistant State Attorney Aleathea McRoberts told jurors that Colson and Peterkine conspired to kill Johnson, with Colson driving a dirt bike in pursuit and Peterkine firing shots from the rear seat.
"The evidence is beyond any doubt that these two people were acting in concert to commit the crimes they were committing," McRoberts said. "They were clearly principals. They were assisting each other. … There is zero doubt this was a deliberate attempt to kill Marcas Johnson."
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Defense: Evidence didn't prove men's guilt beyond reasonable doubt
Attorneys for Colson and Peterkine challenged Stokes' testimony and questioned her ability to identify the attackers. Assistant Public Defender Robert Gordon, who represented Colson, described Stokes as being "frantic, shaken and in shock" when she initially provided an identification to sheriff's investigators.
"Memory is complex," he said. "We know that by the time that Ms. Stokes made the identification, she had several opportunities to look at photographs that would make her more likely to pick Mr. Colson."
Defense attorney Scott Skier, who represented Peterkine, described evidence presented by the state as "woefully insufficient." He argued that video-camera surveillance produced by the state did not prove that Peterkine was one of the people aboard the dirt bike.
"The video is not beyond a reasonable doubt," he said. "The video does not show you beyond a reasonable doubt that Mr. Peterkine was on the back of the bike and the physical evidence contradicts that in every single way."
Skier also raised questions about Stokes' ability to see the shooter, noting a moment at trial when Stokes asked to put on her eyeglasses before identifying Peterkine from the witness stand. Stokes testified that she was not wearing her glasses on the day of the shooting, but told the court she was still able to see the faces of both men.
Jurors returned to the courtroom Tuesday afternoon to listen to a recording of Stokes' testimony. After expressing concern over the quality of the recording, Shepherd instructed a court reporter to read a transcript of it out loud.
Julius Whigham II is a criminal justice and public safety reporter for The Palm Beach Post. You can reach him atjwhigham@pbpost.com and follow him on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, at@JuliusWhigham. Help support our work:Subscribe today.
