State rests in trial of Michael Dunn

Jacksonville, FL - The State of Florida has rested its case against Michael Dunn after calling 27 witnesses over the span of four days.

In the three days of witness testimony heading in to Monday morning, State Attorney Angela Corey and the two Assistant State Attorneys on her team for this trial have worked to paint the picture of inside the Gate gas station, inside the teen’s SUV and inside Dunn’s hotel room the night of November 23^rd, 2012. We’ve chronicled every minute of that in articles posted to the left.

They capped off today with the pathologist in the Medical Examiner’s Office who worked on Jordan Davis’ body. Dr. Stacey Simons was on the witness stand for 90 minutes including cross examination of what the judge warned the audience in the courtroom would include graphic imagery.

She first showed the jury the clothes Davis was wearing that night, including the evident bullet holes and blood stains corresponding to where he was hit three times.

Simons first described in detail the shot which hit Davis’ chest. She says it entered Davis through the tenth rib, on his right side, also moving through his diaphragm, liver, lungs, and aorta.

“I believe that it would have been fatal in a matter of minutes,” Simons said.

The other shots he suffered to the left and right thighs would not have been fatal, although Simons described one as “debilitating”.

More time was taken to focus specifically on the liver.

“There is a large wound track, or very obvious wound track, through the liver,” Simons said.

Based on the trajectory of the bullet, Simons- who was determined by the court to be an expert in her field- believe Davis had to be leaning in toward the middle of the car at the time he was hit with that gunshot. Dunn claims he fired in to the car fearing for his life and believing the teen was getting out of the car to hurt him.

Defense Attorney Cory Strolla asked Simons how she came to determine Davis was seated in the car rather than standing. She told him that was the information she was given by police.

“Law enforcement never gave you another scenario, did they,” Strolla asked.

“No, they did not,” Simons responded.

“The State Attorney’s Office never gave you another scenario did they?”

“No, they did not.”

When Strolla asked if one of Davis’ thigh wounds could have been sustained while he was getting back in to the SUV, Simons told him she would have to be given all the relevant data to study the factors together before making a decision. During re-direct, however, Corey brought body positioning back up.

“Is there anything that you’ve looked at, based on the actual photographs from the crime scene, the dowel pictures you saw, and your own autopsy, that would lead you to believe that Jordan Davis was in any position other than seated in the back seat of that vehicle, leaning towards the other side of the car,” Corey asked.

“There’s nothing that I saw,” Simons responded.

Court reconvenes around 1:30 PM. Defense Attorney Cory Strolla is planning to call witnesses to speak to Dunn’s character while continuing themes he has presented so far, including that Dunn was acting in self-defense and that potential problems with the police investigation could have left open the opportunity for the teens to get rid of any weapon they may have had in the car. Strolla has still not indicated whether Dunn himself will take the stand.

This trial is scheduled to last through Friday, and at the outset Judge Russell Healey expressed confidence we would be done well inside of that time frame. The pace of calling witnesses has considerably slowed, however. On the first day, which was a half day that also included opening statements, seven witnesses were called. Friday featured nine witnesses, including the teens who were in the car with Davis. Saturday saw eight witnesses, including the lead investigators and analysts, as well as Dunn’s fiancée Rhonda Rouer.

I am at the courthouse bringing you instant updates on the latest in the trial on Twitter (@NewsAndNom and @WOKVNews). Also stay tuned to WOKV on-air at 104.5FM/AM690 for continued updates through the day and the duration of the trial.

VIEW COMMENTS

There are no comments yet. Be the first to post your thoughts. Sign in or Register.

The Latest News Headlines

Thunderbird F-16 plane flips on its top at Ohio air show

A military plane went off a runway, slipped and flipped Friday during the Dayton Air Show in Ohio, according to witness reports and law enforcement officials. >> Read more trending news A tow truck was called to the scene just before 1 p.m. Rescue crews were also on-scene. Medics responding to the crash gave an occupant of the plane a “thumbs up,” but did not elaborate on the person’s condition. Ricardo von Puttkammer, a chief correspondent for Aviation Photojournal in New York City, told the Dayton Daily News that he saw a two-set Thunderbird land and taxi toward a staging area when a strong gust of wind apparently flipped the F-16 on its top. >> See the latest from the Dayton Daily News Another eye witness told WHIO that the Thunderbird slipped while coming down for landing. Law enforcement officials confirmed the plane was upside-down. Emergency dispatchers said it was in the grass. At the time of the crash there was heavy rain in the area. Rainfall rates in the vicinity exceeded two inches per hour, according to WHIO meteorologist Brett Collar.
Smash & Grabs at movie theater parking lot in St. Augustine

The St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office is wanting you to be on high alert the next time you’re at the Epic Theater in St. Augustine. Detectives are currently investigating five smash and grabs burglaries in the parking lot of the movie theater Thursday night. Women’s purses or wallets were reported stolen out of four of the cars. ID and credits cards along with sunglasses and loose change were reported stolen. The Sheriff’s Office believes the burglaries occurred between 7:30-9:30 PM on Thursday. If you have any information or if you have observed any suspicious activity in the Epic Theater parking lot, you are asked to call to Detective J. Kroul at the St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office at 904.824.8304 or by email at jkroul@sjso.org.
How three teens overpowered three guards at Jacksonville Youth Academy

We are getting a better idea how three teenagers were able to escape from the Jacksonville Youth Academy late Sunday night. Three security guards at the facility, which is operated by G4S Youth Services, were overpowered by 15 year-old Justin Silva, 16-year-old Luther Davis, and 16-year-old Derek Browley. According to an incident report, Luther Davis asked if he could leave his room and use the restroom. While he was in the restroom, Silva hailed a security guard to his bunk room. As the guard opened the door, Browley punched the guard on the mouth. Silva and Browley, who share a room, fled on food. Three security guards attempted to detain the suspects but were unsuccessful. Their portable radios fell on the ground during the incident. The teens threw the radios at the guards, striking one in the face. The teens used the keys taken from one of the guards to open the east exit door. They ran outside and climbed a high exterior fence to escape the facility. Each of the three security guards sustained injuries during the escape. According to court records, Silva had previous charges including Grand Theft and non-law violation of probation. Davis had previous charges of Burglary and Grand Theft of a Motor Vehicle. Browley had previous charges including Grand Theft of Motor Vehicle, Battery, and Robbery/Carjacking without a firearm or weapon. The Florida Department of Juvenile Justice sent us this statement about the escape: The Florida Department of Juvenile Justice (DJJ) takes incidents that occur at our programs very seriously to ensure the safety of both youth and staff. DJJ was notified by the contracted provider for Jacksonville Youth Academy of the escape of three youth and law enforcement was immediately notified. DJJ will continue to work with law enforcement as well as conducting our own investigation of this incident to confirm that all policies and procedures were followed by contracted staff. If a failure to follow those policies and procedures is identified, the contracted provider will be held fully accountable.
Escape update: DJJ conducting review, outlines potential actions

Three teenagers are still on the run as of early this afternoon, following an escape at the Jacksonville Youth Academy on the northside Sunday night. Three security guards at the facility, which is operated by G4S Youth Services, were overpowered by 15 year-old Justin Silva, 16-year-old Luther Davis, and 16-year-old Derek Browley. The Florida Department of Juvenile Justice said Friday that it is conducting an escape review, which may include corrective actions. And if a failure is identified on the part of staff or the contracted provider, DJJ says penalties could include termination and contract action against G4S Youth Services. Here is a full statement from DJJ: “As it relates to Jacksonville Youth Academy, DJJ is in the process of conducting an escape review and will determine what corrective actions may be necessary. A comprehensive investigation will also be conducted to determine whether all policies and procedures were followed. If a failure is identified on the part of staff or the contracted provider, they will be held fully accountable up to and including termination of staff and potential contract action against the contracted provider.”
Designer sunglasses stolen from Orange Park Mall

Detectives with the Clay County Sheriff’s Office are looking for two suspects they believe are connected to a theft at Sunglass Hut in the Orange Park Mall. During the afternoon on May 13th, the two black men believed to be between the ages 45 and 55 entered the store. One of the men distracted the sales associate, while the other wearing a camouflage baseball cap with a U.S. Marine Corp insignia stole the sunglasses. Two pairs of Gucci sunglasses, a pair of Prada sunglasses and a pair of Versace sunglasses. The designer glasses are worth $1,290. Detectives believe the suspects also stole four pairs of designer sunglasses, worth more than a thousand dollars from the same store in late February. If you have any information about the two suspects, you are asked to call the Clay County Sheriff’s Office at 904.264.6512