A Tampa jury this week handed down a life sentence for a 29-year-old man convicted of shooting a victim in the head after inviting him into a “sexual encounter” with his boyfriend, according to WFLA. Dewayne Gallishaw will spend the rest of his life in prison for a crime that began as a consensual arrangement between three adults in April 2023 and ended with an attempted murder charge, State Attorney Suzy Lopez said.
The case, prosecuted in Hillsborough County, hinged on the sequence of events inside a Tampa home where Gallishaw and his 26-year-old boyfriend had invited the victim over. The private arrangement escalated into gunfire, leaving the victim wounded and Gallishaw facing the most serious charges Florida law allows short of a killing.
What happened in April 2023
Gallishaw and his boyfriend invited the victim to their home for a “sexual encounter,” State Attorney Suzy Lopez said, according to WFLA. The three had arranged the meeting with the understanding that it would be consensual. At some point during or after the encounter, the situation changed: Gallishaw shot the victim in the head.
WFLA’s reporting doesn’t detail what triggered the shift from a consensual meeting to a shooting, and it doesn’t specify the exact location within the home or the timing of the gunfire relative to the encounter itself. What is clear from the State Attorney’s account is that the victim survived being shot in the head, a fact that shaped the charges Gallishaw would ultimately face.
From attempted murder to a life sentence
Prosecutors charged Gallishaw with attempted murder following the shooting, since the victim survived rather than a homicide. Florida law treats attempted murder as a first-degree felony in cases involving premeditation or the use of a firearm, carrying the possibility of a life sentence upon conviction. That’s the outcome a Hillsborough County court delivered.
WFLA’s reporting doesn’t specify whether Gallishaw pleaded guilty or was convicted at trial. What’s confirmed is the outcome: a life sentence, announced alongside State Attorney Suzy Lopez’s public statement on the case.
State Attorney Suzy Lopez’s statement
Suzy Lopez, the State Attorney for Florida’s 13th Judicial Circuit, which covers Hillsborough County, spoke directly on the circumstances of the case, confirming that Gallishaw and his boyfriend had invited the victim over for a “sexual encounter” before the shooting occurred, according to WFLA. Her office’s characterization of the invitation as consensual matters for how the case was framed for jurors and the public. This wasn’t a stranger attack or a robbery gone wrong, but a planned meeting between three men that turned violent.
Lopez’s statement, as reported by WFLA, doesn’t include additional detail on sentencing remarks made by the judge or any victim impact statements presented in court. The available reporting centers on her confirmation of the encounter’s nature and the resulting charge.
The two men involved
Two men invited the victim to the home: Gallishaw, 29, and his boyfriend, 26. Both were present for the sexual encounter that preceded the shooting, though WFLA’s reporting identifies Gallishaw specifically as the one who shot the victim in the head. The boyfriend’s exact role during the shooting itself, whether as a bystander, participant, or otherwise, isn’t detailed in the available reporting.
Gallishaw’s sentencing
Gallishaw, now 29, received a life sentence for the attempted murder charge stemming from the April 2023 shooting. The sentence means he will not be eligible for release, a consequence Florida courts reserve for the most serious violent offenses.
The boyfriend’s legal status
WFLA’s reporting doesn’t specify whether Gallishaw’s 26-year-old boyfriend faced separate criminal charges connected to the incident, nor does it clarify his current legal status. He’s identified only as a co-participant in inviting the victim to the home for the encounter that preceded the shooting. Any charges, plea arrangements, or court proceedings involving him remain outside what’s been publicly reported so far.
Timeline from arrest to conviction
The shooting happened in April 2023, setting off a criminal case that moved through Hillsborough County’s court system over the following months. WFLA’s reporting, published August 29, 2026, confirms the life sentence as the case’s resolution but doesn’t lay out the specific dates of Gallishaw’s arrest, arraignment, or trial. The gap between the 2023 incident and the 2026 sentencing report points to a multi-year process common to serious felony cases involving jury trials, pretrial motions, and court scheduling, though the exact procedural timeline hasn’t been detailed publicly.
What’s confirmed is the endpoint: a conviction on the attempted murder charge and a life sentence, announced by the State Attorney’s office more than three years after the shooting.
What remains unknown
Several details of the case sit outside the public record based on current reporting. The exact motive behind the shift from a consensual sexual encounter to gunfire hasn’t been disclosed. WFLA’s account doesn’t specify what led Gallishaw to fire the weapon, whether an argument, a misunderstanding, or something else triggered the shooting.
The victim’s identity, current condition, and any statement he may have given during the trial haven’t been reported. Given that he survived a gunshot wound to the head, the extent of his recovery and any lasting injuries remain unaddressed in available coverage. Likewise, the legal outcome for Gallishaw’s boyfriend, including whether he was charged, tried, or cleared of wrongdoing, hasn’t been clarified.
Court records from the 13th Judicial Circuit would likely fill in these gaps, including specific trial dates, sentencing hearing details, and any charges filed against the boyfriend. Until then, the case stands as an example of how a private, consensual arrangement between three adults escalated into a violent felony with life-altering consequences for everyone involved.
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