Articles Posted in Murder

At approximately 2:15 p.m. today, a Florida jury gave it’s verdict in the highly publicized Florida murder trial of criminal defendant, Casey Anthony. She was charged with the following seven counts:

1. First-degree Murder (Florida Statute Section 783.04(1)(a)(1));
2. Aggravated Child Abuse (Florida Statute Section 827.03(2));
3. Aggravated Manslaughter of a Child (Florida Statute Section 782.07(3) and 827.0393); and
4. Four Counts of Giving False Information to Law Enforcement Officers (Florida Statute Section 837.055).

A Jacksonville Criminal Jury of twelve (12) people recommended death to the Jacksonville Criminal Defendant, Thomas Brown, after being convicted of the murder of his co-worker. The jury voted 7 to 5, in favor of the death penalty for Mr. Brown. The Jacksonville Criminal Defense Attorneys of the Office of the Public Defender for Duval County submitted evidence to the jury that Brown was not a cold-blooded killer. They submitted that Brown was “disturbed man whose troubles began at a young age with a dismissive mother who regarded him as little more than a means to a welfare check. A lack of self-esteem spiraled into multiple personalities and spurts of violence that landed him in therapy about age 5 after he stabbed his sister.”

However, the Jacksonville Assistant State Attorney “stressed to the jury that the shooting came in retaliation after Brown had been sent home from work” and “his temper grew murderous and led to Miller’s death, all the more reason he should pay for her life with his own.” (Jacksonville.com)

See Jacksonville Criminal Lawyer Submits Rejected Guilty Plea to Jacksonville Felony Court by a Jacksonville Criminal Defense Lawyer.

After waiting in custody at the Jacksonville, Duval County Jail, Thomas Brown stood trial for first-degree murder of his Wendy’s co-worker (Duval County Case Number 16-2009-CF-008160-AXXX-MA) (See also, Jacksonville Felon Charged With Shooting and Killing Co-Worker at Jacksonville Restaurant). On May 23, 2011, the Jacksonville State Attorney’s Office and Brown’s Jacksonville Criminal Defense Lawyers, provided by the Duval County Public Defender’s Office, selected the jury that would preside over this Jacksonville felony criminal case. On May 25, 2011, the Jacksonville criminal lawyers tried the case, and the jury returned a guilty verdict. Since this case is a first-degree murder, death penalty charge, the jury was required to return for the sentencing phase to vote on the death penalty (Jacksonville.com). The minimum sentence available for first-degree murder is life in Florida State Prison.

Approximately two years ago, a Jacksonville felon was charged with the shooting death of his co-worker at a Jacksonville Wendy’s. Thomas Theo Brown was accused of shooting Juanese Miller. Witnesses to this Jacksonville crime stated that he (Brown) left the restaurant angry and later returned with a gun and a planing to kill someone. When he returned to the store, he sought out Miller (Jacksonville.com) and shot her. This led to the charge of Jacksonville murder in the first-degree. On May 25, 2011, he was tried and convicted of the crime in Jacksonville, Florida

See Jacksonville Man Found Guilty of Murder for Shooting Fellow Restaurant Worker by a Jacksonville Criminal Defense Lawyer.

The Florida Casey Anthony Murder trial has been covering headlines all over the State of Florida and the nation. Anthony is an Orlando woman accused of murdering her 2-year-old daughter. Ms. Anthony contends that her daughter drowned in a family swimming pool.

The Florida prosecution has presented testimony from multiple witnesses that claim that Ms. Anthony’s car had an extremely foul odor. The State of Florida is presenting this evidence to the jury to infer that a dead body was in the vehicle. In order to identify the odor, Florida prosecutors called Dr. Arpad Vass, he developed a test that is designed to analyze air samples to determine the presence of certain chemicals and compounds associated with human decomposition.

While not conclusive, Dr. Bass has testified that nearly all the compounds associated with human decomposition were found in Ms. Anthony’s car. Further, Dr. Vass recalled smelling an “overwhelmingly strong” odor of human decomposition from an air sample taken from Anthony’s car. This is the first time his tests have been admitted in a trial in the United States, but if found reliable, such evidence may be used in other trials in the future. Anthony’s attorney has objected strenuously to the admittance of this evidence due to the lack of reliability. It will be interesting to see if the jury places much emphasis on this evidence. (Jacksonville.com)

Yesterday, Jacksonville news reports stated that the Jacksonville homicide rate dropped during the year of 2010. In fact, “the State Attorney’s Office said there were less homicides in the year 2010 than in decades. Investigators there said there were 99 homicides in 2010 in Jacksonville.” However, some organizations, such as Hurting Families with Children in Crime, question the accuracy of the Jacksonville crime statistics. It appears that the North and the Northwest sections of Jacksonville are not seeing a decrease in crime.

A Florida man was arrested for attempted murder after stabbing his 6-year-old son. Jacksonville Florida News reports that Xavier Thomas has been accused of stabbing his on over 20 times on New Year’s Eve. The wounds were not life-threatening. A family member stated that Thomas is being treated for mental illness. Details of the case are still unfolding; however it is likely that his mental illness will play a role in his defense of this Florida attempted murder charge. Thomas’ mental illness may result in an insanity defense or negate the specific intent to commit this crime. Additionally, he may be incompetent to defend his Florida criminal case.

As a Jacksonville Criminal Lawyer, I find that when defending criminal cases, I often have to practice law as well as psychology. In Florida, if a person has committed a crime, the court must be certain that the defendant is psychologically able to assist in his or her defense and to understand the nature of the crime with which he or she is charged. If a defendant’s competency is challenged, the court must order a psychological evaluation. If the evaluation evidences existence of a mental infirmity, the defendant cannot stand trial and must be admitted to a psychological facility until his or her mental competency has been restored.
Recently, in Jacksonville, Jumar Henry was charged with first degree murder for the murder and decapitating his mother. Jacksonville Judge, David Gooding, ordered the man to a mental health facility to evaluate his competency. If Mr. Henry’s competency is not restored, he will not be tried in court for the crime.