PENSACOLA — A jury found 52-year-old Sheila Agee guilty of principal to first-degree premeditated murder for her role in the 2023 killing of 18-year-old Brooklyn Sims inside a Pensacola Home Depot, a case that has also spurred a wrongful death lawsuit against Home Depot USA Inc. and Retail Services WIS Corporation.
The conviction, reached after a three-day trial, carries a mandatory minimum sentence of life in prison without parole.
The verdict marks Agee’s second trial in the case; the first, held in November 2024, ended in a mistrial due to juror issues.
Sims, the teen mother of Agee’s grandchild, was shot and killed while working inside the store on Aug. 11, 2023, by her former boyfriend and the father of her child, 20-year-old Keith Agee.
He was convicted in December 2023 of first-degree premeditated murder and also sentenced to life without parole.
Prosecutors presented text messages exchanged between Sheila Agee and Keith Agee in the hours leading up to the shooting.
According to authorities, the messages showed that Keith Agee drove from Alabama to Florida with the intent to kill Sims and that his mother helped coordinate the attack.
One message from Sheila Agee read, “If you don’t come kill her you a mf b**ch,” while another warned Keith Agee, “don’t shoot at my mf car I don’t want to die,” followed by, “Wait till I put her out.” Sheila also sent her son a map of the Home Depot layout.
Both Sheila Agee and Keith Agee testified for the defense during the proceedings.
Prosecutors said Sheila Agee drove Sims to work the morning of the shooting, and surveillance footage confirmed she was in the store when Keith Agee entered, approached Sims in aisle 52, and opened fire.
Authorities say there were no security guards posted at the store entrance to stop him from bringing in a firearm.
In Keith Agee’s own trial, he testified that he had received a positive test result for a sexually transmitted disease days after being intimate with Sims.
However, after his conviction, prosecutors presented evidence showing Sims did not have an STD. A text message sent by Sims to Sheila Agee six days before the shooting included a photo from a doctor’s appointment confirming she was clear of any such infection.
Three days after the killing, deputies arrested Sheila Agee in Washington County, Ala. Just hours before her arrest, she was seen attending a balloon release ceremony honoring Sims in Citronelle, Ala.
Alongside the criminal convictions, Sims’ mother, Cornelia Sims, has filed a wrongful death lawsuit in Escambia County Circuit Court against Home Depot USA Inc. and Retail Services WIS Corporation.
The suit alleges negligent security, hiring, retention and supervision, claiming these failures directly contributed to Sims’ death. Both companies have since removed the case to federal court in the Northern District of Florida under diversity jurisdiction, citing that the amount in controversy exceeds $75,000.
According to the complaint, Sheila Agee was employed as an inventory manager for Retail Services WIS Corporation and was also acting as an agent for Home Depot on the day of the shooting.
The lawsuit alleges she used work-related devices to help plan the murder while on duty. It claims Retail Services WIS Corporation failed to monitor or supervise her use of these devices and that Home Depot failed to provide adequate security measures, including the absence of metal detectors and security personnel at store entrances.
The filings state that Home Depot’s and WIS Corporation’s loss prevention employees were on the premises but not positioned in areas that could have prevented Keith Agee from entering undetected with a firearm.
Once inside, he located Sims based on information allegedly provided by Sheila Agee. After a brief altercation, Keith Agee shot and killed Sims and wounded two other victims.
The complaint asserts that the defendants’ negligence caused Sims’ death, resulting in funeral and burial expenses, mental pain and suffering for her mother and the loss of parental companionship, guidance and support for Sims’ young daughter, referred to as K.A.
The suit seeks damages exceeding $50,000, with the final amount to be determined by a jury.
Home Depot, incorporated in Delaware with its principal place of business in Georgia, and Retail Services WIS Corporation, incorporated in Delaware with headquarters in Texas, have both denied liability in their removal notice.
The companies argue that the federal court has jurisdiction due to the diversity of citizenship between the parties and the scale of damages sought.
Sheila Agee now awaits formal sentencing in state court, while the civil case moves forward in federal court.
