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Lakewood Ranch High School QB Charged In Slaying

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By BART PFANKUCH and HALLE STOCKTON

Sarasota Herald-Tribune

Published: July 15, 2008

BRADENTON - The future looked bright for Timothy L. Brooks in June when he threw the only touchdown pass for the Lakewood Ranch High School varsity football team in its spring warm-up game.

Brooks, who alternated between the high-impact positions of quarterback and running back, was expected to be a star this fall.

But on Monday, Brooks was in the Manatee County jail, facing a murder charge that could put him in prison for years.

Manatee sheriff's officials arrested Brooks, 18, on Monday afternoon and charged him in the Sunday night shooting death of a 19-year-old Bradenton man, William J. White Jr.

'No Admissions'

Authorities say Brooks, of the 1600 block of 27th Avenue East in Bradenton, shot White after robbing him of a necklace after a marijuana deal in the 1600 block of 27th Avenue Drive East. The shooting was apparently in retaliation for a robbery that Brooks and the other person involved in the shooting, whom sheriff's officials identified as Cody P. Rogers, 18, thought was committed by White and his friend, reports stated.

Lakewood Ranch varsity football coach Shawn Trent, leading a practice at the school Monday, said he was aware of Brooks' arrest, but did not want to comment.

Sheriff's spokesman Dave Bristow said Brooks came into the Sheriff's Office about 1 p.m. Monday after the agency got word to Brooks' family that he was wanted for questioning in the killing of White.

After questioning Brooks, investigators arrested him on the murder charge and took him to jail, Bristow said. "There were no admissions," Bristow said.

According to the arrest warrant, Brooks shot White in the neck after White and another man drove to the neighborhood near Brooks' home and bought marijuana.

Brooks and another person approached the car, each with a handgun and each on separate sides of the vehicle, and began questioning White and his friend, Jakob Cunnien, about a past robbery, the warrant said. The two pointed the guns directly at the victims' heads while telling them to turn over all their belongings.

Cunnien told authorities that after Brooks ripped off White's necklace, Cunnien began to speed away. He heard a gunshot and looked over to see White slumped over and bleeding.

Cunnien drove White to Manatee Memorial Hospital, where White was pronounced dead about 20 minutes after the 8:20 p.m. shooting, according to reports.

Bristow said Brooks was arrested based on testimony from witnesses at the scene, and after Cunnien picked Brooks and another person out of photo lineups.

Brooks has one traffic violation on his criminal record, a 2007 citation for not carrying a driver's license, but no arrests for violence or drugs in Manatee County.

Talk of the arrest buzzed at the School Board meeting Monday night. Schools spokeswoman Margi Nanney said, "It's a real tragedy that this happened, and that students sometimes make poor decisions at this point in their lives that can affect their futures."

Arrest A 'Tragic Story'

Schools Superintendent Roger Dearing called Brooks' arrest "a tragic story" and "a heartbreaker."

Anthony Incordona, a former teammate of Brooks, was shocked to hear about the murder charge filed against his high school friend.

Incordona said he had never heard of Brooks being tangled up in anything illegal, and the quarterback was never violent.

"He was always just a good athlete and went out to compete every day," said Incordona, a former safety and 2008 graduate from the high school. "He always joked around with us in the locker room. I talked to him a lot on the field. He was a good team player and a good athlete."

According to those who monitor Lakewood Ranch sports, Brooks was known for his fast feet on the field.

Rogers, 18, was still wanted by authorities as of Monday night. Rogers, according to Herald-Tribune archives, graduated from Horizons Academy in Manatee in June.

Detectives are asking that anyone who knows where Rogers is or has any information about the case call the Sheriff's Office at (941) 747-3011 or Crime Stoppers at 1-866-634-8477.

Tribune-Herald staff writers Christopher O'Donnell and Frank Gluck contributed to this report.

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