A Vero Beach man has been sentenced to 25 years in prison for his role in a fatal 2021 shooting in Fort Pierce, bringing closure to a tragic Treasure Coast drug deal that turned deadly.
During an August 25 court appearance, Ranell Rayshad Louisjeune, 25, of the 3900 block of Lincoln Drive in Vero Beach, avoided trial by pleading no contest to charges of second-degree murder and robbery with a firearm. According to Assistant State Attorney Brandon White, Louisjeune received a 25-year mandatory minimum sentence, which he must serve day-for-day.
The charges stem from the death of 19-year-old Frandy Belzens, who was discovered fatally shot inside his vehicle on Avenue E in Fort Pierce on January 27, 2021.
Instead, Louisjeune pulled out a firearm and shot Frandy in the head, killing him. It was broad daylight in the middle of the day. He was left in his running vehicle for a couple hours before someone finally called 911 to report Frandy’s body in the car.
The investigation conducted by the Fort Pierce Police Department pieced together the afternoon’s events through surveillance footage, confidential sources, and forensic evidence. To fully understand the scope of the case, investigators established the following timeline:
- The Setup: Co-defendant Warren L. Wiley, 26, of Fort Pierce, contacted Belzens to arrange a marijuana transaction on behalf of Louisjeune, whom Wiley had only known for a few weeks.
- The Crime: Wiley and Louisjeune met Belzens on Avenue E and entered his gray Nissan. After inspecting the marijuana, Louisjeune allegedly drew a 9mm handgun, shot Belzens, and fled the scene through a nearby alley alongside Wiley.
- The Discovery: At approximately 3:45 p.m., police responded to the scene, finding the victim in the driver’s seat of the running vehicle parked between two cars, with a gunshot wound to the right side of his face.
- The Arrests: Wiley was apprehended first. After initially denying involvement, he identified Louisjeune as the shooter once confronted with security camera images. Louisjeune was later captured on February 16, 2021, during a traffic stop in Jacksonville, Florida.
The Jacksonville traffic stop proved to be the pivotal moment in securing justice for Belzens. Louisjeune was discovered riding in the passenger seat of a reported stolen vehicle. Underneath his seat, authorities located two firearms. Ballistics testing later confirmed that one of the weapons—a 9mm handgun—was an exact match to the cartridge casing recovered from Belzens’ vehicle in Fort Pierce.
While Louisjeune has now been sentenced and is heading to state prison, the legal proceedings for his co-defendant are still ongoing. Records show that Wiley was arrested on a charge of third-degree murder, which indicates an unintentional killing while attempting to commit a non-violent felony. Wiley has pleaded not guilty, and his case remains pending in the local court system.
This case highlights the continued efforts of local law enforcement agencies across the Treasure Coast and state lines to collaborate, utilizing surveillance and ballistics to remove violent offenders from the streets of our community.
