20-year-old woman shot to death on side of road, Florida cops say. Ex-boyfriend charged

UPDATE: Aniya Sheppard’s former boyfriend, 22-year-old Travion Dean, has been charged with first-degree murder in Sheppard’s death investigation, the Brevard County Sheriff’s Office said Jan. 2. He was arrested in Fort Lauderdale coming back to the country from Jamaica.

The original story is below.

A body found by a passerby on the side of the road has been identified as a 20-year-old woman killed in a targeted attack, Florida authorities said.

Someone discovered Aniya Sheppard shot dead next to the road in West Melbourne shortly before 7 a.m. Nov. 4, the Brevard County Sheriff’s Office said.

The person found a deputy at a nearby gas station to report the body, and investigators came to the conclusion that the incident was a homicide, deputies said.

“Based on the preliminary investigation, it appears that the victim was the intended target of this violent attack,” deputies wrote, identifying Sheppard the day after she was found dead.

Community members and those who knew her expressed dismay about the attack.

“She was a sweet girl & so soft spoken,” one person wrote on Facebook.

Investigators haven’t released information about a suspect or possible motive.

“Every day I travel that road and it is absolutely heinous that someone did this to this young lady,” another Facebook user wrote.

Deputies are asking anyone with information to call Agent Kevin Morris of the Brevard County Sheriff’s Office Homicide Unit at 321-633-8413 or CRIMELINE at 1-800-423-8477.

Brevard County is on Florida’s Space Coast, about a 60-mile drive southeast from Orlando.

This story was originally published November 5, 2024 at 4:23 PM with the headline "20-year-old woman shot to death on side of road, Florida cops say. Ex-boyfriend charged."