Gang Member Sentenced to 55 Years for Daylight Ambush Killing in Houston

A documented member of the Black Disciples gang was sentenced to 55 years in prison for murder, Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg announced Monday.

“This was a brazen ambush in broad daylight by a gang member who thought he could get away with murder,” Ogg said. “We’re thankful that a Harris County jury was able to see the truth and handed down justice for the victim’s family.”

Brodrick Jaamel Sayles, 37, known in his gang as “Foolie,” was convicted by a Harris County jury for the November 5, 2020, murder of 28-year-old Demetrius Daniels. The shooting occurred around 10 a.m. in a parking lot in the 9700 block of Beechnut Street. Sayles was seen on surveillance video arriving at the lot, hiding between two Dumpsters, and then shooting Daniels as he parked his Toyota Camry.

Assistant District Attorney Lindsey Pearson, who prosecuted the case, described Sayles’s actions after the murder. “He committed the murder in November, and then the next year, in April, he is shooting at a crowd of people in broad daylight at a gas station,” Pearson said. “He has absolutely no regard for human life or any remorse — he knows he killed someone, and he’s out doing the same thing five months later.”

Assistant District Attorney Brett Batchelor added, “During the trial, we showed jurors video of the defendant looking directly at the surveillance camera, so it is clear that he is the killer. We could track all of his movements, and we know exactly what he was doing for the hour leading up to the shooting.”

The Houston Police Department’s Homicide Unit – Gang Murder Squad investigated the case. At the time of the shooting, Sayles was free on bond following multiple arrests, including charges for car theft, burglary, firearm possession, and drug offenses. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, investigators could not charge him with Daniels’s murder until almost a year after the incident.

Sayles will serve at least half of his 55-year sentence before he is eligible for parole.