JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Devonte Hanford pleaded guilty Thursday in the 2015 murder of Blind Rabbit restaurant employee Daniel Rowe.
Investigators said Hanford and Erron Coleman robbed, shot and killed the 20-year-old father while he was taking out the trash behind the Riverside restaurant.
Coleman has accepted a plea deal with the state and is awaiting sentencing.
Rowe's parents, Steven and Raelyn, gave tearful victim impact statements in front of the courtroom Thursday.
The parents told Action News Jax they’re one step closer to justice for their son.
The pair explained they’ll never be able to express all they want to Hanford, but what matters most is the promise they’ve made to their son.
“We will make sure your legacy lives on and nobody forgets who you were or what you meant to us," Raelyn Rowe said.