TAMPA, Fla. – James Llanos and Lizeina Cepeda appeared in Hillsborough County Court Friday for a pretrial detention hearing.
The couple, who are husband and wife, are both charged with first-degree murder and armed burglary for a shooting in Brandon at an apartment complex on March 9.
The backstory:
That day, the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office responded to a 911 call about an altercation and shots fired at the Lakewood Place Apartments on Lake Chapman Drive.
Upon their arrival, they found two people, James Llanos and Lizeina Cepeda, outside the apartment where the shooting happened.
Llanos was on the ground and surrendered himself to them, and deputies recovered a handgun at the scene.
Deputies took him into custody and looked into the apartment where a bullet hole was found through a door.
Big picture view:
Inside, they found a man, Travon Jackson, dead from a gunshot wound to the head.
Based on witness testimony and the statements made by Llanos and Cepeda, the couple was arrested and charged with 1st degree murder, armed burglary, shooting into a dwelling and false imprisonment.
READ: Florida couple accused of killing tenant at Brandon apartment complex makes first court appearance
The two had their first appearance after their arrest and were ordered held without bond until a pretrial detention hearing could be held to determine the facts of the case.
The two had their first appearance after their arrest and were ordered held without bond until a pretrial detention hearing could be held to determine the facts of the case.
What we know:
Judge Christopher Sabella held court Friday over the pretrial detention hearing.
Prosecution Lindsey Hodges addressed the court, bringing forward the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Detective investigating the case.
Dig deeper:
Detective Rene Garcia presented answers as Hodges asked questions about the shooting that took place.
The defendants moved out of the apartment in November 2025 and the victim moved in after them.
He described the scene as an altercation between the victim and the defendants where the victim was home in the apartment when confronted by the suspects.
During the confrontation, there was a brief struggle and the suspect, Llanos, produced a firearm and fired a shot through the door which struck and killed the victim.
The other side:
Defense attorney Rocky Brancato cross-examined Detective Garcia for Llanos.
He pointed out the 911 call which was played in court. On the call, Llanos could be heard asking witnesses to call the police.
Brancato asked why a suspect intent on killing someone would ask others to call the police?
The prosecution objected.
Brancato pointed out that the detective’s own investigation showed that the victim had grabbed Cepeda by the neck and was threatening her prior to the shooting. The detective agreed with that statement.
The defense attorney stated that out of concern for his wife, Llanos shot the victim. He stated that this was not an intentional act of murder, this was not an armed burglary.
Defense attorney David Joffe asked the detective about Cepeda’s involvement. He was able to get the detective to admit that Cepeda was not the shooter, she did not act aggressively towards the victim and she did not instigate the altercation.
Again, in the 911 call that was played in court, the defense presented to the judge that it could be heard that the suspect had Cepeda in a headlock, and that she also called 911.
Is It A Self Defense Case?:
Brancato again told the judge that this was a self-defense case. Llanos waited for law enforcement to surrender. He had recently gone through shoulder and back surgery, so he was disabled when confronted by a violent man, and he cooperated with law enforcement.
Defense Attorney Joffe addressed the court that Cepeda could not have forced her way into the apartment as her name is on the lease. She is the legal owner of the apartment. The victim changed the locks blocking her from her own property.
The judge took a brief recess to consider his determination for this bond hearing.
What they’re saying:
Judge Christopher Sabella addressed both the prosecution and the defense. He agreed that the case could be a self-defense case, but for the purposes of a bond hearing, the bar is much lower than a criminal trial of guilt or innocence.
With that he addressed Liziena Cepeda and her attorney. He ruled that the motion for pretrial detention is denied. He then set her bond at $50,000 for the murder charge, $25,000 for the armed burglary charge, $5000 for the shooting into a dwelling charge, and $5000 for the false imprisonment charge.
Should she manage to post bond, she must adhere to the usual conditions of release, including no contact with her co-defendant, no weapons, no contact with the victim. She must remain in Hillsborough County. She may seek permission later for meetings elsewhere as her attorney is located outside of Hillsborough County.
As for James Llanos, Judge Sabella stated that the facts are pretty simple: a person lost his life over a dispute over an apartment.
He then stated that pretrial detention for Llanos was granted. He will be held without bond on counts 1 and 2.
What’s next:
Judge Christopher Sabella set the arraignment for both defendants for March 31st before Judge Green.
The Source: This story was written based on the pretrial detention hearing held today in Judge Christopher Sabella’s court, the State Attorney’s Office documents in the case and the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office initial reports on the shooting scene.