Neighbor kills father, a ‘beloved’ Little League coach, Florida officials say

A 22-year-old ran into a Little League coach at their community dock and killed him, shooting the father in the back as he was lying face down, Florida authorities said.

A jury has convicted the now-25-year-old Kristopher Chandler of first-degree murder in the 2022 killing of Anthony Finley, the State Attorney’s Office for the 13th Judicial Circuit shared June 20.

“This victim, who was a beloved Little League baseball coach, was taken in a violent and senseless manner,” prosecutors said. “This verdict delivers justice for his family.”

Chandler never denied shooting Finley, a 47-year-old father of three, but he took the stand during his trial and said he did so in self-defense, according to prosecutors and Finley’s family.

Chandler’s attorney, Joe Caimano, told McClatchy News that prosecutors successfully filed motions to limit the jury from hearing certain details about the victim, including that he was short-tempered.

He argued that Finley had methamphetamine in his system when he died, which would have made him aggressive.

“In this case, the evidentiary rulings allowed the state to put together a version of an incident that wasn’t a complete picture of what happened and had a lot of speculation,” he said, adding that he respects the jury’s decision based on the evidence they were working with.

The two men were next-door neighbors in a Tampa subdivision, where Finley sometimes helped Chandler fix up his car, Finley’s wife told officers with the Tampa Police Department.

The night Finley died, he told his kids he was going to the dock, where his family said he spent most nights fishing, according to a search warrant. Finley’s wife said Chandler also frequented the dock.

A group of young friends told investigators that another man, later identified as Chandler, drove up to the dock after Finley at about 1 a.m. on July 14, 2022.

Not long after the second car arrived, the witnesses said they heard gunshots and a man moaning for help, officers said.

But the witnesses had snuck out of the house and were scared, so they left without checking on the man or calling for help, according to investigators.

No one called 911 until a passerby found Finley’s body at the dock shortly after 7 a.m., police said.

An autopsy revealed Finley had been shot three times: once in the stomach, then twice in the back as he was lying face down on the dock, according to a probable cause affidavit.

When officers went to Chandler’s home, he told them he had gone to the dock that night and encountered his next-door neighbor, then they got into an argument and started fighting, according to officers.

Chandler said during the fight, his pistol fell out of his waistband and the two of them began to struggle for the gun, police said.

During the scuffle, Chandler told police he shot Finley before getting in his car and driving away, according to investigators.

Caimano argued his client acted in self-defense, the Tampa Bay Times reported.

“If Mr. Chandler is the killer the state told you he was, would he not have gone right up to the person and shot him?” he asked the jury. “For the state to deny that there was a struggle is disingenuous.”

But prosecutors said the evidence that Finley was shot in the back while he was face down contradicts Chandler’s self-defense story.

Records show Caimano filed a motion to declare a mistrial, which was denied. He told McClatchy News he is working on a notice of appeal.

In Finley’s obituary, his family described him as an “active” dad who loved fishing and coaching his kids’ baseball and softball teams.

“He was kind and selfless and always helped his neighbors when he could because he could literally fix anything,” his family said.

Chandler’s first-degree murder conviction comes with a mandatory life sentence.

This story was originally published June 23, 2025 at 3:08 PM.