MIAMI — A man who gunned down a Colorado tourist inside a South Beach restaurant in front of his wife and baby will spend decades in a Florida prison, a judge said Thursday.

After hearing three days of testimony and argument, Miami-Dade Circuit Judge Laura Stuzin sentenced Tamarius Blair Davis, 27, to 50 years in prison followed by 20 years of probation. In May, Davis, 27, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder, attempted murder and child-abuse charges stemming from the Aug. 24, 2021, killing of 21-year-old Dustin Wakefield.

As Judge Stuzin reflected on the sentence, she said she often wondered what Wakefield would want. She also said she considered Davis’ age and how he pleaded guilty, sparing Wakefield’s family from a lengthy trial.

“Your son, husband, father and brother was in the prime of his life and was, by all accounts, an exemplary human being,” the judge told the victim’s family. “Nothing, including a life sentence, will bring your son back.”

Turning to Davis, the judge said: “This was not a mistake... This was preventable.”

Davis must serve at least 25 years of his 50-year sentence. The judge also sentenced him to 30 years and to five years for his two additional charges, although those sentences will run concurrently. Davis did not react when the judge announced the sentences.

Davis’ change of plea was not the result of a deal with prosecutors, meaning his sentence was left solely to the judge. He was facing anywhere from more than two decades up to life in prison.

Wakefield’ loved ones rushed out of the courtroom and embraced in the hallway. Some spoke to members of Davis’ family after the proceeding and hugged them. Both families declined to speak to reporters, although Wakefield’s mother, Lora Wakefield, said, “Keep calm and Dustin on” as she walked away.

Davis, who has been behind bars since his arrest, will get credit for the five years he has served in jail.

When he was arrested, Davis told police he was high on mushrooms when he killed Wakefield in the outdoor patio area of a restaurant on Ocean Drive in South Beach. Davis also said he “randomly chose” to shoot Wakefield after attacking another man on the street minutes earlier.

Davis, who worked as a UPS driver, was also visiting South Florida; he lived in Norcross, Georgia, just outside of Atlanta.

Outside the courtroom, Davis’ attorney, Juan Mourin, said Wakefield’s murder was tragic and said the case was emotional for everyone involved.

“This was a case that wasn’t going to have a happy ending,” Mourin said.

On Monday, several of Wakefield’s loved ones, who wore black T-shirts that had Wakefield’s name inside a guitar, said they remembered him as a hard-working, devoted husband and father. Wakefield, they said, was a devout Christian and a talented musician who played a variety of instruments, including the guitar, piano, drums and trombone.

He died a hero, shielding his infant son from Davis’ gun, the family said.

“In a moment where my husband was facing unimaginable danger, he was protecting our son,” Wakefield’s widow, Karian Olguin, said.

While addressing the court, Wakefield’s parents said they forgive Davis, but wanted him held accountable.

‘He’s not a monster’

Davis, dressed in orange jail attire, took the witness stand on Tuesday. He admitted that the murder was “unspeakably awful.” He apologized to his own family and told the victim’s loved ones that there are “no words I can express to the Wakefield family to express how sorry I am.”

Davis said his actions the day of Wakefield’s murder do not represent the person he is. He said he can’t fully remember how that day unfolded, citing his life-altering decision to take psychedelic drugs.

“I was raised better than that,” Davis said. “There are no words that will come out of my mouth that describe the pain and remorse I carry… every day.”

Several of Davis’ family members emphasized how the two families at the center of the court case have something in common — a strong faith in God. They asked the judge to mete a sentence that does justice but also leaves Davis with hope.

Tommy Davis, Davis’ father, said his son, who goes by his middle name Blair, is a respectful, calm, hard-working man who always joined their family at church. Growing up, he played baseball and football and never had disciplinary issues at school.

He said he didn’t recognize his son as the man who took Wakefield’s life that day.

“I’m shocked. I’m just totally dumbfounded,” Tommy Davis said. “I would like to personally apologize to the Wakefield family. The person you saw is not the Blair that we know.”

Deangelia Davis, Davis’ mother, broke down on the stand, saying she couldn’t fathom that Davis shot and killed someone. She said she wanted the opportunity to sit down with the Wakefield family, and Davis does, too.

“He did a monstrous thing,” Deangelia Davis said. “He’s not a monster.”

Talia Brianna Davis wiped tears as she said her brother committing a murder was “unimaginable.”

“That is not my brother. That is not the version of my brother that I grew up with, that I know,” Talia Davis said. “I don’t even recognize the sound of his voice” in videos recorded of Davis moments before the shooting.

She said she wished her family and the Wakefields could have crossed paths differently so they could “experience the version of my brother that I know.

“I’m so sorry that my brother, that family has played a role in this,” she said. “I know that nothing that I say could ever make up for what you guys are going through, for what my brother put you through.”

Young father gunned down

Wakefield’s widow recounted how she, Wakefield and their son, Elijah, one year old at the time, flew to Miami for their first family trip in 2021, not knowing that their lives were about to change forever.

Eli, who is now 7, has been asking more frequently about how his father died, Olguin testified. Once, when they were watching the movie “The Lion King,” Eli asked Olguin, and she replied that Wakefield was “a hero.” Olguin said she’s heartbroken for Eli because she grew up without a father and knows what that absence is like.

“When I became a mother there was one thing I wanted more than anything: I wanted my son to grow up with a daddy,” she said.

Wakefield’s father, Matthew Wakefield, said Davis decided that day to kill, but Wakefield decided to surrender his life so others could live. Matthew Wakefield said his son would’ve helped Davis, bought him food and prayed with him, if Davis had asked.

“What you asked for was his life. So you got exactly what you asked for — my son’s life,” Matthew Wakefield said.

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