Florida mom outraged after son's murder suspect remains free on bond despite upgraded charges | FOX 51 Gainesville

Florida mom outraged after son's murder suspect remains free on bond despite upgraded charges

The mother of a 19-year-old man killed in a Mother’s Day shooting is expressing frustration with Florida’s legal process after the man accused of murdering her son remains free on bond, even after prosecutors upgraded the charges to second-degree murder.

What we know:

The State Attorney’s Office for Brevard County arrested and charged Stephan Dieujuste, 24, with the murder of 19-year-old Nathaniel Jennings after a shooting on Mother’s Day. 

While he's facing murder charges now, he was originally charged with manslaughter. Because of new evidence, he's facing second-degree murder charges for Jenning’s death. However, his bond wasn’t upgraded, and the suspect is still out of jail. 

Pictured: Nathaniel Jennings (Credit: UNW athletics website)

His mom says that isn’t fair and is worried about public safety. The state says they want to increase the bond but have to schedule a new hearing in court to argue that case. The suspect’s defense is pushing back on the increased bond and says their client deserves to stay out of jail.

The backstory:

Just before 2:30 a.m. on May 11, a shooting took place on Vernon Place near East New Haven Avenue in Melbourne. 

The victim, later identified as Nathaniel Jennings, was transported to a nearby hospital, where he later died from his injuries. The shooting suspect, Stephen Dieujuste, remained at the scene and told officers he shot Jennings in self-defense, claiming Jennings had attempted to start a fistfight with him. 

Weeks later, his defense came into question when new security footage came out from nearby businesses. The state attorney decided to upgrade his charges.

What they're saying:

The victim’s mom says state laws need to be updated if this is allowed. 

"If you can up a charge and that person can still walk free on a lesser charge, that’s not a good law. They need to change that law. They need to fix that law," said Autum Minick whose son was shot and killed on Mother’s Day.
FOX 35 was also sent statements from both the state attorney and suspect’s defense.

"In this circuit, defendants who have already posted bond (in his case, $100,000) are not re-arrested and jailed for the same incident when the SAO decides to file enhanced charges," said Matt Reed who’s a spokesperson for the 18th circuit state attorney’s office.

"We strongly disagree with the increased charges and believe raising his bond is unjustified. Mr. Dieujuste has no criminal history and poses no danger to the community. Melbourne has extensive surveillance cameras, and we have requested that all video footage be preserved. We expect this footage to show that Mr. Dieujuste acted only in self-defense," said attorney Scott Robinson who’s representing the shooting suspect.

What's next:

The State Attorney’s Office set a new court date to argue the upgraded charges on Aug. 7. If convicted, officials said he could receive up to life in prison.

STAY CONNECTED WITH FOX 35 ORLANDO:

The Source: FOX 35's Reporter Esther Bower met with the victim's mom on June 19, 2025. She also reviewed public court documents in the ongoing court case. She emailed and received statements from both the state attorney and the alleged shooter's defense team.

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