By Fallan Patterson
Staff Writer

Willie Jermaine David, one of seven men accused in the drug-related home invasion death of a St. Cloud teenager in 2011, was found guilty Friday for his part in the crime.

A jury announced about 11 p.m. Friday they had found David, 23, guilty of first degree murder, attempted burglary, burglary of a dwelling and conspiracy to commit robbery with a deadly weapon.

Prosecutors previously dropped one count of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.

David is one of seven men accused of being involved in a September 2011 home invasion at 4160 Packard Ave. in St. Cloud where Edward Bano, 18, was found shot. He later died at Florida Hospital Kissimmee.

Bano “was involved in drug-related criminal activity with the suspects,” Osceola County Sheriff’s Office spokeswoman Twis Lizasuain said. “The motive was drug activity.”

David’s alleged accomplices, who were all arrested on similar charges, are Heath Little, 23; Curtis Howard, 22; Bobby McGee, 24; James Simmons, 44; Melvin Manning, 20, and Trent George, 24.

“All of them participated and had involvement in the homicide,” Lizasuain said.

All seven suspects were already in jail when they were charged with Bano’s murder after being arrested as part of the Sheriff’s Office drug bust in Oct. 2011 called Operation Runs Dry.

The operation was conducted in the River Road area of St. Cloud and in parts of Kissimmee where deputies searched four homes, arrested 10 suspects and recovered 80 grams of crack cocaine, 90 grams of cannabis, 4.7 grams of Hydrocodone and drug paraphernalia, Lizasuain said.

Additionally, six guns were recovered, three of which were stolen. The guns were reported as stolen to the St. Cloud Police Department, the Osceola County Sheriff’s Office and the Nevada County Sheriff’s Office, Lizasuain said.

For their participation in the drug activity, Little was also charged with four counts of sale and delivery of cocaine and one court of sale and delivery of cannabis; Curtis was charged with three counts of sale and delivery of cocaine; McGee and George were each charged with one count of sale and delivery of cocaine; and David was charged with 10 counts of sale and delivery of cocaine and one count of sale and delivery of cannabis.

David also made a rap video about selling drugs in St. Cloud. In the video released by the Sheriff’s Office, David, wearing a black “STC  Representation” T-shirt, raps near the corner of River Road and Mency Street with a group of people behind him periodically chanting “Saint Cloud.”

According to the Osceola County Clerk of Courts, Manning pled guilty in March 2012 to burglary of a dwelling with assault and battery where he is facing 11 years in prison followed by five years of probation. His sentencing hearing is scheduled for May 24. Little had the charges from the home invasion dropped and was sentenced to four years in prison for selling cocaine and marijuana as part of the drug raid.

George, McGee and Simmons were all found guilty on all charges and were sentenced in March 2012 to life in prison for Bano’s murder plus 60 more years on the three other charges.

Howard is the last of the group to face a jury; his trial is scheduled for May 6.

McGee, Manning and George all played football for St. Cloud High School with Manning winning Osceola County Defensive Player of the Year in 2010 with 86 tackles, six interceptions and two fumble recoveries. McGee, considered one of the county’s best running backs during his high school careers, according to Osceola News-Gazette sports editor Rick Pedone, scored 22 touchdowns and ran for 1,085 yards in 2005 for St. Cloud High School and scored seven touchdowns for Osceola High School in 2006. George was considered an “all purpose” player, playing a variety of positions including quarterback for St. Cloud High in 2007, where he completed 39 for 84 passes and scored three touchdowns.