Mother wants accused killer to die in prison

Darlene Farah seeks plea deal, not death penalty for daughter's accused killer

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The mother of a cell phone store manager murdered two and a half years ago is asking for mercy for the man accused of shooting her daughter.

Police said 20-year-old Shelby Farah was shot and killed during a robbery at a Metro PCS store in Brentwood in 2013.

A suspect James Rhodes was arrested a few days later and charged with first degree murder. The state is seeking the death penalty, but Shelby's mother is asking for that to be taken off the table.

Darlene Farah wants this to be over. She wants closure. And she doesn't want James Rhodes to die. Thursday she once again asked prosecutors to accept a plea deal from Rhodes, one where he would get life in prison instead.

“I am fighting for what is right,” Farah said. “Not because of me feeling sorry for him or anything like that.”

Farah isn't afraid to speak out. She wants lead prosecutor Bernie De La Rionda to listen to her wishes and take the death penalty off the table for Rhodes.

According to the mother, Rhodes has wanted to plead guilty for nearly two years now. Rhodes would get life in prison without parole. His defense team is trying to make that happen, but the state won't accept the deal.

“It is not going to bring my daughter back. Shelby didn't believe in the death penalty. Shelby would not want the death penalty,” Farah said. “And she is not here to voice her opinion on it. I am her voice. They are her voice in the court room and I am her voice out here.”

The Rhodes' trial has been pushed back several times. It's now scheduled for May 2.

However the future is uncertain because of a recent Supreme Court ruling which declared Florida's death penalty guidelines unconstitutional. Several past sentences have been overturned. Right now there's no word on what that means for this case.

When asked about the Hurst trial, the case that sparked the Supreme Court action of taking the death penalty off the books, Farah said:

“Oh no. Not again. That is the first thing I thought. I thought we were close to getting to the end where it is almost over.”

Farah said she just wants closure.

“Shelby is in heaven. Shelby is in a better place. I've got my other two kids that I have to think about. I have to focus on putting structure and stability back in their life. And try to start the healing process,” Farah said.

The State Attorney Office sent News4Jax a statement regarding the Rhodes case saying, “This case is currently pending and set for trial in May 2016.  It would be inappropriate to comment at this time.”

 


About the Author:

Lifetime Jacksonville resident anchors the 8 and 9 a.m. weekday newscasts and is part of the News4Jax I-Team.