The Palm Beach County State Attorney’s Office announces that criminal trial juries last week returned the following guilty verdicts:

* Lawrence Mitchell was convicted of second-degree murder with a firearm after a four-day trial. The shooting happened on the night of Feb. 14, 2023, in a parking lot near a Singer Island restaurant. A sentencing hearing for the defendant is pending. Assistant State Attorneys Chrichet Mixon and Alissa Loewenstein prosecuted the case. We extend our thanks to the Riviera Beach Police detectives who investigated the crime.

* Accel Castillo Barrios was convicted of sexual battery with a child (familial or custodial) after a five-day trial. The victim was 12-years-old when the abuse started in 2019. Following the verdict, the court declared Castillo Barrios a sexual predator. A sentencing hearing is scheduled on Dec. 12. Assistant State Attorneys Karen Black and Alexa Ruggiero from our Special Victims Unit prosecuted the case. We thank the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office detectives for their investigation.