“SWEET TEA MURDERS LIVE” SELLS OUT HISTORIC PENSACOLA JAIL EVENT THURSDAY NIGHT
PENSACOLA, FL — The latest “Sweet Tea Murders LIVE” experience, presented by former Pensacola Police Sergeant and Southern crime historian Michael Earl Simmons, has officially sold out ahead of Thursday evening’s event at the historic Pensacola Museum of Art.
Media representatives, photographers, and reporters are still welcome to attend and cover the event.
The immersive true crime storytelling experience begins at 6:00 PM on Thursday, May 28, 2026, inside the former Pensacola Police headquarters and city jail in downtown Pensacola.
Guests will step behind the original iron bars of the old jail while hearing two historic Pensacola murder cases brought to life through storytelling, historical research, and law enforcement insight:
• “The Stabbing at the Half Way House Saloon” — the dramatic 1882 waterfront murder of Captain Martin Villar
• “The Chipley Alley Axe Murder” — the shocking 1926 axe murder case involving Preston Pickern and his family
Attendees will receive sweet tea served in collectible “Sweet Tea Murders” mason jars and will also have opportunities to purchase books, historic photographs, T-shirts, coffee cups, souvenir mason jars, and other merchandise tied to Pensacola crime and police history.
The historic jail setting itself has become part of the experience, with guests taking photographs and selfies behind the original jail bars used during Pensacola’s early law enforcement era.
Simmons, a retired Sergeant with the Pensacola Police Department and director of the George Stone Criminal Justice Training Center, created Sweet Tea Murders to combine authentic Southern storytelling with the forgotten history of Gulf Coast crime.
“This is more than a history lecture,” Simmons said. “People are stepping directly into the atmosphere of old Pensacola and experiencing the stories where they happened.”
The event is presented in partnership with the UWF Historic Trust.
Due to the overwhelming response to Thursday night’s sold-out event, tickets are now on sale for the next Sweet Tea Murders LIVE experience:
“Sweet Tea and Arsenic: The Story of the Black Widow of the Panhandle”
The June 25, 2026, event will examine the crimes, investigation, trial, and execution of notorious serial murderess Judy Buenoano and will take place at the Voices of Pensacola multicultural center, 117 E. Government Street in downtown Pensacola.
Tickets for the June event are available now at:
https://michaelearlsimmons.com/event/sweet-tea-murders-live-an-evening-of-southern-crime-stories-2/
EVENT DETAILS:
Sweet Tea Murders LIVE
Thursday, May 28, 2026
6:00 PM
Pensacola Museum of Art
407 South Jefferson Street
Pensacola, Florida
MEDIA CONTACT:
Michael Earl Simmons
michael@michaelearlsimmons.com
SweetTeaMurders.com
