A Maryland man will spend the rest of his life in a Florida prison following his sentencing Feb. 6 for the 2023 shooting death of a fellow resident at a Lake Park sober home.
In a hearing that lasted about 30 minutes, Circuit Judge Sarah Willis denied Joshua McElhenney, 44, the possibility of parole when she issued him the life sentence. Her ruling at the Palm Beach County Courthouse in West Palm Beach followed a trial in which jurors found McElhenney guilty as charged of first-degree murder with a firearm.
The fatal encounter occurred shortly before 7:30 p.m. on Aug. 6, 2023, at a residence on the 800 block of Jasmine Drive. The Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office reported that McElhenney shot a 33-year-old man before fleeing to Miami-Dade County, where he was apprehended at a hotel. Investigators have not disclosed the dead man’s name.
Court records show that McElhenney maintained an address in a Baltimore suburb, and witnesses said he left the scene driving a white Dodge Caravan with Maryland license plates.
According to investigators, the violence was preceded by a house meeting that morning. During that meeting, the 33-year-old resident accused McElhenney of «erratic behavior» and requested he undergo drug testing.
Although McElhenney tested positive for THC, the active ingredient in marijuana, house residents voted to let him remain in the home without penalty. One witness told investigators there appeared to be no animosity after the meeting, describing everyone as getting along.
However, shortly before 7:30 p.m. that evening, deputies responded after residents reported the shooting. One witness described hearing a gunshot and then seeing McElhenney exit the bedroom where the victim was found.
«I had to take care of business,» McElhenney reportedly said before fleeing the scene.
McElhenney returned to Palm Beach County to face trial after his arrest in Miami-Dade County.
During the Feb. 6 sentencing, the court noted that both McElhenney’s family and the victim’s family were present in court. It credited McElhenney with 915 days already served in the Palm Beach County Jail.