Three years ago Officers Jeff Kocab and David Curtis pulled over a red Camry for not having a visible license plate. The passenger ID’d himself as Dontae Morris, the officers returned to their cars and found out he had an outstanding warrant. They went back to the vehicle, told him to exit, and within “one second” he shot both of them in the head. The dash camera footage has never been released to the public although you can see it in person at the state attorney’s office. Tampa’s chief has said that there is no reason for this to be released because it has no training value and that he got off a “one in a million” shot. Reporters were allowed to watch it and you can read one of their accounts here:
He’s already serving a life sentence for murdering someone else. He faces the death penalty if convicted (and he will most likely get it). Jury selection was a pain in the ass because even though they moved the jury out of the county they still had many jurors standing up slinging F-bombs at Morris saying he should “die die die”
I’m not sure what took 3 years to bring this to trial, but I’m glad it’s almost over.
FWIW - the little scumbag hoodlum has been smiling and smirking throughout the trial.
For what it is worth, I believe that the way Florida does the Death penalty, at least the execution portion, is to take out an add in the news paper for a private citizen to push the button, they are picked up with a black mask on, taken tot he location, push the button, paid, and then taken to another nondisclosure location and released. So unless things have changed that was how they were supposedly doing it while I was in college. I could be wrong.
Inmates may receive mail every day except holidays and weekends. They may have snacks, radios and 13" televisions in their cells. Beginning October 1, 2011, inmates were prohibited from smoking cigarettes and using any form of tobacco in prison, including on death row. They do not have cable television or air-conditioning and they are not allowed to be with each other in a common room. They can watch church services on closed circuit television. While on Death Watch, inmates may have radios and televisions positioned outside their cell bars.
In the good old days cop killers weren’t taken into custody, they were taken to the morgue.
To bad it takes 20 years to carry out the death penalty. What a waste of tax payer money.