Tears streamed down Rhonda Rouers face and her voice shook as she recounted before jurors for a second time the day Michael Dunn shot a Jacksonville teen. Here is what he says happened after he asked the teenagers in the SUV to turn down their music. The State attorney has no hope of a guilty verdict. That juror was eventually dismissed by the judge Saturday. Under questioning from prosecutors, Rouer admitted to never calling 911 or trying to wave down a police officer the night of the shooting or the next day. The state questioned the accuracy of the diagrams, which showed the Jetta at a slight angle and too much room between the vehicles. Dramatic Testimony in Florida Stand Your Ground Trial Michael Dunn's fiance Rhonda Rouer takes the stand as a witness for the prosecution. Once parked, Rouer said Dunn told her I hate that thug music. Rouer went into the store to purchase the items and shortly after the gunshots rang out. His mother and father retained Cory Strolla, his defense lawyer for him, and Dunn liked to complain about him. They pulled by a red SUV blasting rap music, she said. A witness memorized his licence plate and he was arrested at his home a day later. Prosecutors will call two more witnesses and then rest their case. He's been with the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office for about 10 years, a homicide detective for five. I apologize," said Healey on Saturday. Ronda Rousey is currently recuperating after breaking her hand in the match at WrestleMania 35. He lives in East Arlington and has been in Duval for 33 years. 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[28] Dunn faced a minimum of 75 years in prison on the following counts: a minimum mandatory sentence of 20 years for each count of attempted second-degree murder, and up to 15 years for firing into a moving vehicle. "It just took some time to get through that. Moments later, Rouer told jurors, I heard pop, pop, pop.. If you remember about this case when it first happened, youll know Rhonda was with Dunn when the incident that took Jordans life, occurred. He was still discussing whether Cory or the process was to blame and decided it was the process. Rouer told the jury that her boyfriend had maybe three or four rum and sodas at his sons 2012 wedding, prior to pulling into the parking lot of a Jacksonville, Fla., gas station beside a red Dodge Durango, which was blaring loud music, according to online reports. "I'm not really sure what the investigators are thinking, but I told them what was up,". The murder trial of the Brevard County man accused of killing a teenager over loud music continues in Jacksonville on Monday. [38], On June 22, 2020, the Florida Supreme Court rejected Dunn's appeal and refused to take the case. She started by telling Assistant State Attorney Erin Wolfson that they had a good day that . He comments on my (the Davis attorney) assertion that there were no weapons and wishes his lawyer would counter these assertions. While Rouer was inside the store, Dunn asked the people in the Durango to turn down the music. Filmmaker Silver (Who Is Dayani Cristal?) Yet,the film,3 Minutes, 10 Bullets, as well as being a compelling real-life courtroom drama, offers some clarity about race and injustice in the pre-Trump era. [32][33][34][35] Dunn was given a sentence of life in prison without parole plus 90 years, ensuring he will never be released from prison for the remainder of his life. Kuritz says he's seen letters like this one before and believes it can be used against Dunn at trial. Personal Injury Criminal Defense Family Law. He said he responded to the crime scene.After Rouer's testimony, Sukhan Warf, a Florida Department of Law Enforcement crime lab analyst and DNA expert followed. By using this website, you accept the terms of our Visitor Agreement and Privacy Policy, and understand your options regarding Ad Choices. Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy. Musser also said he never went back to the Gate station to get video recordings of that night to determine if the witnesses gathered inside, including the three friends, were talking. He makes an off color sex change joke and then talks about Charlie (his dog). Juror #4, previously known as Juror #32 is a white, married man with a 10-year-old child. BLM became a national activist network a year later, following police killing of a third African-American teen, Michael Brown, of Ferguson, Missouri. In January 2015, the documentary 3 Minutes, 10 Bullets (originally titled 3 Minutes) premiered at the Sundance Film Festival. The shooting, he told jurors, had nothing to do with the obnoxious bass music or rap crap as he called it Tuesday that thundered out of the teenagers Durango, which was parked alongside his vehicle. On Monday morning, the state began by calling Wendy Meacham, an investigator with the Office of the Medical Examiner. It was WrestleMania. Rouer, Dunn's former girlfriend, was the fifth witness to take the stand in the third day of testimony of the murder retrial. [49] In 2020, she defeated Handel in a rematch to win reelection to a second term. Letters exchanged between accused killer, Michael Dunn and his girlfriend could be problematic for his defense. The prosecutor, John Guy, expressing incredulity during his cross-examination, also picked apart Mr. Dunns testimony. [17][18], After his arrest, Dunn claimed that Davis threatened him with a "gun or a stick". The couple drove back to their hotel, ordered a pizza and Dunn made them some alcoholic drinks. Relatives. But there was one less juror to hear testimony Saturday. Dunn was found guilty on October 1, 2014, at the conclusion of the retrial. . Prosecutors received permission from the court to let the jury handle Dunn's gun. [27] Dunn's attorney subsequently requested that sentencing on the four counts of which Dunn already had been convicted be delayed until after Dunn's retrial. We spend time getting to know Jordans friends, troubled by their loss and their own near-death experience. Outside the courtroom,the filmmakerinterviews Jordans grieving, thoughtfulparents, Ron Davis and Lucy McBath - the latter of whom subsequently became a Congresswoman in Newt Gingrichs old Georgia district, running on a gun control ticket. 7 Likes, 0 Comments - Rhonda Sunshine Miller (@artateher_sunshine) on Instagram: "The best thing that ever happened to me #therapy" . These letters were written by Michael Dunn in jail and show a different side than you heard from him and his lawyers. But Ms. Rouer, who lived with Mr. Dunn in Brevard County and who had accompanied him to his sons wedding here, contradicted those statements on Tuesday. He faces 60 years in prison for the attempted murder convictions and will get life if he's convicted of killing Davis. The wounds, the examiner said, indicated that Mr. Davis, who bore no traces of alcohol or drugs, was sitting in the vehicle and leaning away. Defense lawyers have argued that Davis may have had a gun that night, and his three friends disposed of it after the shooting when they briefly fled from the Gate into the nearby parking lot. Rouer told the court she is no longer engaged to Michael Dunn. According to online records, the couple wedded May 22, 1989 in Indian River, Florida. She complied, and saw Dunn put a handgun in the glove box. "He's clearly reiterating there was a weapon there, there was a weapon there.". Distraught and quivering, Ms. Rouer said on the stand that Mr. Dunn never told her that night or the next day that one of the teenagers was armed. Meanwhile, the trial of Michael Dunn resumes 9 a.m. Monday. JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- Letters exchanged between accused killer, Michael Dunn and his girlfriend could be problematic for his defense. But a new letter gives a look inside the mind of an accused killer. The defense is expected to begin presenting its case late Monday morning. Mr. Dunn, 47, is charged in the first-degree murder of Mr. Davis and three counts of attempted murder, one for each of the other teenagers who were in the red sport utility vehicle that Mr. Dunn shot at. JACKSONVILLE, Fla. The state called two more witnesses in the Michael Dunn retrialand rested its case Monday afternoon. Theyd had a few drinks while at the wedding. The film debates the question: "Is it possible to be both pro-gun and pro-life?" I was worried about the blind firing situation, where they would shoot over their heads, whatever, and hit me, or hit me and Rhonda.. [9], Rouer returned to Dunn's car. Then, I heard another pop,pop,pop.". The two had been engaged and living together at the time of the shooting. Rouer testified she did not hear any arguing. They didn't call 911, and didn't know Davis had died until the next morning when Dunn was arrested. Neither parent could have predicted what happened to Jordan the next day, or that it would spark one of the more galvanizing criminal trials in recent memory. She did not witness any of the confrontation between her fiance and Davis, Rouer said. Dunn's girlfriend Rhonda Rouer was with Dunn the night he allegedly shot 17-year-old Jordan Davis, at a Jacksonville gas station after an argument over loud music. Toxic Torts, Environmental Contamination and Cancer Clusters, Entertainment Law / Sports Law / Athlete Management, Estate of Keegan Roberts v. Michael Centanni, Justice for Anne McQueen (Don Lewis from Tiger King), Estate of Gregory Hill versus the Sheriff of St. Lucie County and Deputy Newman, Watch what Michael Dunns neighbor had to say about him, Review over 400 photos of the physical evidence for yourself. "When she was first interviewed, when you would expect someone to tell the truth when their memory is freshest she never mentioned a firearm," said former prosecutor Richard Kuritz. John is Board Certified in Civil Trial Law in Florida. He describes his location as thugville. Reverse discrimination is rampant here and hes never been exposed to thugs like they have here. Dunn is accused of killing 17-year-old Jordan Davis after an argument over loud music at a Gate gas station on the Southside on Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving in 2012. After a shaken Ms. Rouer got back inside the car, Mr. Dunn pulled out of the gas station and drove to the hotel where the two spent the night as planned. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. She also wasnt questioned this time around about whether Dunn ever mentioned to her that he thought Davis had a gun. Anyone can read what you share. If her boyfriend is convicted he could face life in jail. Brian told Rhonda what he did on the way back to their hotel after the shoot occurred, and she was inside the store buying liquor when the shooting took place, so she had no idea what he did until their return. The next morning Rouer saw a report about the shooting on the news indicating that Jordan Davis had died. The judge, already angered over the courtroom camera showing a potential juror, asked for the equipment to be turned off as the jury walked into the courtroom. I did it in my panicked state, he said, of the later volleys. She said she rushed back to the car where Dunn "urgently" asked her to get in. The three teenagers in the Dodge Durango with Jordan at the time of the shooting testified Friday. [9][12] The front seat passenger, Tevin Thompson, initially complied and turned the volume down, but Jordan Davis requested the volume be turned back up. Zimmerman's acquittal happened in the summer of 2013, between Dunn's first trial, which ended in a partial verdict, and his second trial in the fall, when the jury convicted him of first degree murder. The Violent Heart, Kerem Sanga, Young Adult melodrama, Murder mystery, Lukas Haas, Mary J. Blige, Jovan Adepo, Grace Van Patten, Jordan Preston Carter, Rayven Symone Ferrell, Kimberly Williams-Paisley, Nomadland, Frances McDormand, Characters on the fringe of society, Homeless on wheels, Linda May, Bob Wells, David Strathairn, Nomadland: Surviving America in the Twenty-First CenturybyJessica Bruder, Chlo Zhao, The Rider, Terrence Malick, Kelly Reichardt, Joshua James Richards, Ludovico Einaudi, Richard Linklater, Boyhood, Derek Chauvin, the gruesome death of George Floyd, police killing of a third African-American teen, Michael Brown. Documentary Special Jury Award for Social Impact at the 2015 Sundance Film Festival. Davis' father Ron remained in the courtroom while Davis' mother Lucia McBath left the courtroom.Simons also showed the jury where on Davis' clothing that emergency personnel cut the clothing to perform lifesaving measures, and where on the clothing that gunshots passed through. Rouer said both she and Dunn had cellphones but neither dialed 911. Siniscal said he asked Dunn to come out of his home shirtless and with his hands up. [21] Contrary to Dunn's claim that he mentioned a weapon to Rouer, she testified that he never mentioned a gun either that night or the next day. Now I'm back to reading the Bible and playing solitaire.". The police arrested him shortly after he arrived in Brevard, a two-and-a-half-hour drive away. He wanted to entice the mayors office to worry about Jacksonvilles PR. Example video title will go here for this video, Help Wanted: Jacksonville Jaguars position groups Breakdown. Simons testified that the cause of Davis' death was multiple gunshot wounds and the manner of his death was a homicide. "Florida jurors continue deliberations Saturday in loud-music murder trial", "Weapon in Slaying of Florida Teenager Figures Again in Court", "Jordan Davis' parents settle wrongful death suit with Michael Dunn", "Progressive Select Insurance Company v. Dunn et al (3:13-cv-00402), Florida Middle District Court", "Attorney for Jordan Davis' family says it's about hate, not race", "Ron Davis, Father Of Slain Florida Teen Jordan Davis, Ready To Fight", "Juror: Some On Panel Thought The Killing Of Unarmed Teen Jordan Davis Was 'Justified', "Michael Dunn, in just released phone calls, describes himself as victim after killing teenager", "Michael Dunn won't be sentenced till after new Sept. 22 trial on 1st-degree murder charge of Jordan Davis", "EXCLUSIVE: Dunn's daughter, 'It should never have happened. She was still engaged to Dunn at the time. [11][13], Shortly after Davis's death, his parents, Ron Davis and Lucy McBath, and some of the other vehicle occupants, filed civil complaints against Dunn. Given the traditions of the time . In this letter, he essentially blames his ex-wife for not studying English harder, tries to give fatherly advice while admitting to being a pretty bad one. They also heard from the lead detective in the case with the Jacksonville Sheriffs Office and several forensics experts. The jail calls between accused "loud music" killer Michael Dunn and his girlfriend, Rhonda Rouer, have been released. As his head clears the window frame, he says, This is going down, Mr. Dunn said, quoting Mr. Davis and using an expletive in the quote. As for WWE plans in the future, we want to have a baby first. She said Dunn told her, "I hate that thug music." At the counter, she testified she heard three pops. 3 Minutes, 10 Bullets. He said she probably will get offers from Hollywood from testifying. Prosecutors have pounded on the fact that Dunn was ordering a pizza and walking his dog while Davis was being pronounced dead. The Folio writer confirmed to Action News at 12:35 p.m. that it was his article that led to the dismissal of juror #4. The murder was one of the primary inspirations for the award-winning young adult novel Dear Martin, by Nic Stone. When Rouer woke up the next morning, she saw reports on TV about the gas-station shooting. Rouer testified Saturday that she and Dunn, who reside in Satellite Beach, Fla., were in Jacksonville that day to attend the wedding of Dunns son in Orange Park. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); We were very happy, Rouer told the court, her voice cracking. [40][41] Hendrix described Dunn as arrogant and controlling, adding that Dunn's ex-wives told him that Dunn was violent and abusive toward them, although he never personally witnessed this. Ittook place at the infancy of the Black Lives Matter movement, which was launched on social media following the 2013 acquittal of George Zimmerman for the shooting death of another 17-year-old Florida native, Trayvon Martin. Amidst dailyreports about the trial of policeman Derek Chauvin, the gruesome death of George Floyd, and this weeks police shooting of Daunte Wright in Minnesota, it may seem perverse to revisit a different racially-charged trial from 2015. Rouer said she had a glass of red wine and about three rum and cokes as well as champagne. Brunson, Davis, and Thompson remained in the vehicle listening to music which was described as "very loud." And Thompson remained in the future, we want to have a first... His girlfriend could be problematic for his defense but a new letter gives a look inside the store, asked! Woke up the next morning, the trial of Michael Dunn and his could... Playing solitaire. `` this one before and believes it can be used against Dunn at the time child! On June 22, 2020, she defeated Handel in a rematch to win reelection to a second term Cory. If he 's seen letters like this one before and believes it can be used Dunn... 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