2 Life Sentences For Man Guilty Of 2018 Shooting: Sarasota Police

SARASOTA, FL — A man was handed multiple life sentences after being found guilty of charges related to a 2018 double shooting, according to a Sarasota Police Department news release.

Linval Cohoone, Jr., 39, of Sarasota, will spend the rest of his life behind bars for the crimes, the agency said.

During the early morning hours on April 6, 2018, officers responded to a double shooting at a home in the 1400 block of 21st Street .

Two victims found inside the home each suffered from a close-range gunshot to the head, police said. “Miraculously, both victims survived.”

Evidence directed investigators to Cohoone as the suspects and warrants were obtained for his arrest.

On April 10, 2018, he was placed under arrest for two counts of attempted murder and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.

Prior to this shooting, Cohoone had 45 previous felony charges, including aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, robbery, aggravated fleeing to elude, burglary of an occupied structure and possession of cocaine.

In December 2021, while still in custody at the Sarasota County Jail, Cohoone solicited an inmate, who he knew was to soon be released, and offered the inmate $7,500 to kill one of the surviving victims. As a result of that investigation, he was charged with premeditated murder (murder for hire).

In December 2022, while still in custody, Cohoone directed a three-way call from inside the jail to one of the victims. He “apologized” to the victim and begged the victim to help him “get off” the charges, police said. He was then charged with violation of pre-trial release (witness tampering).

“We are very pleased with the recent sentencing of Linval Cohoone for the heinous crimes he committed on the victims in this case,” Captain Johnathan Todd of SPD’s Criminal Investigations Division. “This sentence will ensure that Cohoone is never free to harm another innocent victim in our community again.”