De’Vante Lashawn Moss is charged with two counts of first-degree murder, attempted murder and being a felon in possession of a firearm. Jane Musgrave/The Coastal Star
By Jane Musgrave
A 32-year-old Boynton Beach man is claiming he was acting in self-defense when he fatally shot two people outside a Boca Raton hotel in 2024 and is asking a judge to throw out double first-degree murder charges he is facing.
De’Vante Lashawn Moss, who was arrested in Georgia a day after Chandler Dill and Christopher Liszak were found dead outside the 365 Ocean extended stay hotel, claims his actions were justified under the state’s Stand Your Ground law.
Fearing for his life, Moss said he shot Dill and Liszak rather than be shot himself, according to papers filed in Palm Beach County Circuit Court. The 2005 law allows people to use deadly force, rather than retreat, if they have a reasonable belief that their lives are endangered.
At a hearing on May 18, Circuit Judge Scott Suskauer said he had lingering concerns about granting Moss’ request. The law says that people who are committing a crime aren’t allowed to seek immunity from prosecution, the judge said.
While Moss’ attorneys say that he came to the hotel to pay $100 to have sex with the 32-year-old Dill, who advertised her services as an escort, Suskauer said there is no evidence that the two had sex. In court papers, Moss’ defense attorneys said that they did.
Still, Suskauer said, while Moss can’t be accused of violating the state’s prostitution laws, other factors could spur him to reject the request.
Assistant State Attorney Chrichet Mixon said the dispute was triggered when Moss grabbed Dill’s purse from her hotel room and ran to his car. That’s robbery, she told Suskauer.
However, Assistant Public Defender Stephanie Gagerie said Moss grabbed Dill’s purse because she had stuffed a bag of illicit drugs she stole from Moss in her pocketbook and he wanted them back.
Further complicating matters is that Moss in 2022 pleaded guilty in federal court to a charge of distribution of fentanyl and was placed on probation for two years. As a convicted felon, he was prohibited from having a gun. That, too, could be sufficient to reject Moss’ request.
However Gagerie said courts have ruled that even those engaged in criminal acts are entitled to immunity. The key, she said, is whether they could safely escape. Moss couldn’t, she said.
Suskauer said he would make his decision after Mixon and Gagerie in mid-June file legal papers, laying out their opposing views.
The chaos that surrounded the Sept. 20, 2024, shooting was captured on video cameras at the hotel, which is on State Road A1A north of Palmetto Park Road.
Edited snippets reviewed by Suskauer showed Moss running through the parking lot with a black purse and Dill running after him.
Another man, Tuan Duy Hoang Ho, sees the struggle and comes to help Dill. Shortly after, Liszak walks out of a room he rented next to Dill’s and joins the melee.
In court papers, Gagerie said that Moss was only trying to retrieve his drugs and leave. But, she said, Ho indicated he had a gun and threatened to kill Moss. So, Moss grabbed a gun from the passenger side of his car and got into the driver’s seat.
Moss couldn’t close the driver’s side door because Liszak was holding it open while Dill continued to attack him, Gagerie said. Moss tried to drive away, but the automatic brakes on the silver 2017 Jaguar engaged.
Realizing the car wasn’t going to move, Ho opened the passenger-side door, holding a gun, Gagerie said.
Convinced he was going to get shot, Moss jumped out of the car and began shooting. Dill, who was shot in the neck, arm and back, and Liszak, who was shot in the chest, died in the parking lot.
In a report, Boca Raton police Detective Dale Graham said the video shows that Ho managed to get away from the car. Moss followed him, shooting him once, and while an injured Ho sat on the ground with his arms raised, Moss shot him again. Ho survived.
In addition to two counts of first-degree murder, Moss is charged with attempted murder and being a felon in possession of a firearm. If convicted, he faces a possible life sentence. A trial is months away.
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