PALM BEACH COUNTY, Fla. – A jury convicted James Deon Bryant Jr. of manslaughter in the 2019 fatal shooting of a father who discovered the then-19-year-old in his 15-year-old daughter's bedroom, according to court records and local reports.
The incident occurred on Nov. 10, 2019, in a Palm Springs-area home near Lake Worth Beach. Authorities said the underage girl had sneaked Bryant into the residence around 2 a.m. after the pair had been texting. The two had sex in her bedroom before her father, Alberto Hernandez Jr., 38, awoke and confronted the intruder.
According to investigators with the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office, Bryant pulled a gun during the confrontation and told Hernandez he "wasn't going to jail." A struggle ensued over the weapon. Bryant shot Hernandez in the torso, fatally wounding him. Both men were struck during the altercation, with Bryant sustaining gunshot wounds to his knee and wrist.
Hernandez, who was pronounced dead shortly after, told arriving deputies that an unknown male had shot him.
In dramatic Ring doorbell footage captured nearby, a wounded Bryant hopped up to a neighbor's door seeking help. He claimed his car had broken down and repeatedly asked to use the phone to call his mother, even as sirens approached. The homeowner offered to call 911, but Bryant declined and eventually stumbled away, collapsing briefly in the driveway before fleeing further. Deputies later tracked him with a K-9 unit, recovered his gun, and took him into custody.
Bryant was initially charged with second-degree murder with a firearm. A jury convicted him of the lesser charge of manslaughter in July 2022. In October 2022, Circuit Judge Sarah Willis sentenced the then-22-year-old to 12 years in prison, rejecting calls for both maximum punishment and leniency. During sentencing, Bryant apologized to Hernandez's family and his own.
The case has drawn renewed attention online, with the Ring video recirculating years later and sparking debate over the outcome. Prosecutors had argued the shooting stemmed from Bryant's unlawful presence in the home and armed confrontation. Hernandez, a father protecting his family, lost his life in what authorities described as a chaotic struggle after discovering the intruder.
Cases like this highlight ongoing concerns about violent crime, home invasions, and the justice system's handling of confrontations involving firearms and minors.
