Man convicted of murdering friend in Panama City Beach sentenced to 40 years in prison
PANAMA CITY BEACH — A man convicted of murdering his friend while vacationing in Panama City Beach in 2021 has been sentenced to 40 years in prison.
Three Arizona residents visited PCB in October of 2021: Scottie Jay Black, 43; his friend Tyrell James Sagg, 41; and Sagg’s girlfriend. She isn’t named in the release from the State Attorney’s Office; however, reporting from other outlets have identified her as Didda Johnson, 34.
Both men lived in parts of Arizona that are part of the Navajo Nation, which is where Black eventually was picked up for questioning, according to the news release.
According to the release, Black and the victim’s girlfriend reported they found him dead on the floor of their hotel room. Previous reporting points to the location as the Marriot Townplace Suites in PCB. The reporting goes on to say suspects told investigators that Sagg had a heart condition and believe he died in the night.
Although there were no visible injuries on the victim, an autopsy later revealed internal injuries consistent with strangulation, the release from the State Attorney’s Office says.
A Panama City Beach Police Department investigation found that Black used Sagg’s ATM card after his death and then fled the state.
Black stood trial last month and was found guilty as charged of second-degree murder.
A photo collage of the sentencing of Scottie Jay Black for the 2021 murder of his friend in Panama City Beach.
During the sentencing, prosecutor Peter Overstreet told Circuit Judge Brantley Clark that the defendant declined to take responsibility for his actions. He also noted that death by strangulation is painful, and that the defendant was indifferent after the fact.
This is despite Black not being a typical repeat offender and having done “some good things in his life.”
Overstreet pointed to the fact that Black had sex with a woman in the adjacent bed after the murder.
“And then he just went on living life as if nothing had happened,” Overstreet told the court, according to the release. “Those are pretty aggravating circumstances after someone’s dead.”
Black apologized to Sagg’s family for his actions, but Overstreet made it clear he took something from the family they won’t get back.
“But I think Mr. Sagg’s family is right: The defendant’s family can pick up the phone and call him in prison, they can have visitations, maybe one day he’ll get out, but they’ll always have a connection,” Overstreet said in court, according to the release. “Mr. Saggs’ family won’t. They’re left with memories, with his children not having their father to see their accomplishments.”
The defendant and prosecutor agreed on a 40-year sentence, which Overstreet says is sufficient based on the defendant’s age of 43.
State Attorney Larry Basford thanked the PCBPD for its work, which involved travel to the Navajo Nation in Arizona.
