The defense is expected to begin presenting its case late Monday morning. She claims that Dunn told her to get in the car. She said she could still hear the loud music as she walked up to the store. She is the mother on one son, Brandon Rouer. They also heard from the lead detective in the case with the Jacksonville Sheriffs Office and several forensics experts. The next morning Rouer found out that Davis was dead after turning on the television news and insisted they return to their home in Satellite Beach. The state questioned the accuracy of the diagrams, which showed the Jetta at a slight angle and too much room between the vehicles. Read Dunns Jail Letters Here (you are here), Watch Full Michael Dunn Pre-Arrest Interview by Detectives, Watch what Michael Dunns neighbor had to say about him (very negative), Evidence Locker: State of Florida & Jordan Davis versus Michael Dunn, Review over 400 photos of the physical evidence for yourself (may download slow), Watch portions of Trial and read more about the case, Jordan Davis: Download Jet and Rolling Stone Magazine Articles, Michael Dunn on Myspace: Learn More About Jordan Daviss Killer. JACKSONVILLE, Fla. At times teary, his feet shackled, Michael Dunn, the man accused of fatally shooting a black teenager in November 2012 during an argument over loud music, took the witness stand on Tuesday and told the jury he pulled the trigger repeatedly only to save his own life. Dunn, who had a concealed weapons permit,[8] took a handgun out of his glove compartment and started firing at Davis' door, hitting him in the legs, lungs, and aorta. The films title indicates the brevity of the interaction from around 7:30 to 7:33 on a Friday evening and the estimated number of bullets fired. That juror was eventually dismissed by the judge Saturday. Testimony began with the Brevard County Deputy Carmine Siniscal on the stand, the state's 19th witness. Dunn is accused of fatally shooting 17-year-old Jordan Davis at a Southside Gate gas station during a confrontation over loud music on Nov. 23, 2012. Dunn doubts he would have even been arrested in any other County, discusses his plans to sue the pants off of the State once trial is over. Rhonda Rouer took the stand and started trembling and sobbing as she began to get into what happened on the night of the shooting. Dramatic Testimony in Florida Stand Your Ground Trial Michael Dunn's fiance Rhonda Rouer takes the stand as a witness for the prosecution. We hear from Jordan's . [43][44], Rebecca Dunn, Dunn's daughter, defended her father's story, by her statement during an interview, "He is going to protect himself if he sees no other way than to bring out his gun, then that's what he's going to do. [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. Dunn stated that he received "ineffective assistance of counsel". Dunn and Rouer left the wedding early in order to return to their hotel and take care of their six-month-old puppy. He talks about blacks and says, if more people would arm themselves and kill these fucking idiots when theyre threatening you, eventually they may take the hint and change their behavior. Further, he says, eventually, we as a society will wake up and realize that we need to arm ourselves, as the government welfare programs have produced a culture of entitlement for a certain segment of our society. And, remember when your mom was robbed? British director Marc Silvers tautly edited film, which won a special jury award at Sundance in 2015, was picked up by HBO and aired later that year. Gabel cautioned Healey that "the mistake" being made Saturday was "the same one made in the first trial.". This one is difficult to read and he and his fiance have some code language they have worked out. rhonda mathis and attica scott say not only did lapd tell the public one day after it happened, now, eight days later, the body camera video has not been released. [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. Jurors heard from six other witnesses throughout the day, including two officers from the Brevard County Sheriffs Office who responded after Dunn was contacted by the Jacksonville Sheriffs Office and contacted a neighbor in law enforcement the following morning. But when questioned by the defense, she described Dunn as a gentle man who was visibly shaken after the shooting. 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. Daviss parents, Ron Davis and Lucia McBath, were also visibly emotional in the audience. The justices did not explain their reasons behind the refusal. On the way back to their hotel, the two decided to stop at the Gate Petroleum . Fourth Judicial Circuit Judge Russell Healey ultimately did not allow the diagrams to be used, but said he would allow the testimony from the expert witness.Just after 2 p.m., forensic consultant Michael Knox took the stand as the first witness for the defense. In a second trial, Dunn was found guilty of the first-degree murder of Davis and sentenced to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole plus 105 years in prison, which is two de facto consecutive life sentences.[4][5]. The two went back to their hotel, Rouer said, where Dunn ordered a pizza. It was WrestleMania. Prosecutors will call two more witnesses and then rest their case. Follow Rhema Thompson on Twitter@RhemaThompson. The state called 27 witnesses in the trial, including the young men in the SUV with Jordan Davis and Dunn's then-fiance Rhonda Rouer, who was also there. Those friends, Leland Brunson, Tommie Stornes and Tevin Thompson, all testified Friday that Davis cursed at Dunn when he asked them to turn the music down, but didn't threaten him. At one point, the juror--described as a 400-pound white school teacher--reportedly stated that Corey would have a hard time proving to a court that I am fat; there would still be reasonable doubt.. Kuritz says if Rouer's testimony changes on the stand and more closely sounds like what she's been told in letters from Dunn, that could present a problem for the defense. Simons testified that the cause of Davis' death was multiple gunshot wounds and the manner of his death was a homicide. [50] ABC News, Australia says the case has become part of the national conversation about the dangers facing young black men in America today. Almost two years later, a distinctly unhappy Rouer recounted a day that started happily and ended with her now former fiance fleeing a Southside Gate gas station at high speed after he fired 10 shots into a Dodge Durango that contained four black men. Anyone can read what you share. She gave emotional testimony, just as she did in the first trial. But there was one less juror to hear testimony Saturday. [17][18], After his arrest, Dunn claimed that Davis threatened him with a "gun or a stick". [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. The jail calls between accused "loud music" killer Michael Dunn and his girlfriend, Rhonda Rouer, have been released. "[24][25], In closing arguments at the first trial, the defense lawyer for Dunn cited the language of Florida's stand-your-ground law. Mr. Dunn said he saw Mr. Davis with a weapon. Letters exchanged between accused killer, Michael Dunn and his girlfriend could be problematic for his defense. The documentary, directed by Marc Silver, explores the shooting, the trial, and Florida's Stand Your Ground laws. Siniscal said he had a "high-risk" arrest warrant for Michael Dunn. 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. First Coast News has successfully fought for your access to these documents and we'll bring you more exclusive content on Thursday night at 8 p.m. during our special, Michael Dunn, fatal encounter. 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. It's possible Dunn could take the stand in his own defense. During Simons' testimony, several photos Davis' body were shown to the jury. WWE News: Ronda Rousey reveals why UFC match was bigger than WrestleMania. She also said Dunn mixed both of them another rum and soda adding his fifth from his earlier at his sons wedding in the hotel room. Healey told Knox not to mention anything from the previous trial while testifying.During his testimony, Knox brought forth his opinion that Davis' window, the rear passenger window, was rolled at least partially down. Written and directed by Marc Silver. However, the courtroom conversation between attorneys and the juror in question was conducted in a sidebar, preventing media or other members of the audience from hearing it. Rouer broke into tears several times during her testimony, as she had in the first trial. [55] The film distribution was sold to HBO. 2023 Cox Media Group. Dunn was originally tried for murder in February. Ronda Rousey is currently recuperating after breaking her hand in the match at WrestleMania 35. He raised a significant question that still hangs over the proceedings: If the teenagers had a shotgun and were being fired upon, why didnt they use it? John is Board Certified in Civil Trial Law in Florida. They are still communicating in his code language. He then tries to enforce a version of what happened upon her (which is blacked out). Rhonda Rouer took the stand and started trembling and sobbing as she began to get into what happened on the night of the shooting. 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. Rouer testified the couple went home to Brevard County after the shooting. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); Meacham testified that$1.25 in currency, a bracelet, earrings, a cellphone, a knife and a watchwere items removed from Davis' clothing.Next on the stand Monday was Dr. Stacey Simons, who worked in the Medical Examiner's Office at the time of Davis' death. [48] She defeated incumbent Karen Handel, winning 160,139 votes (50.5%) to Handel's 156,875 (49.5%). Guy asked Mr. Dunn. Davis' murder is one of many referenced by social justice activists (including many black parents) as a reminder that unarmed children who died at the hands of police or white men, mattered as individual human beings. She did not witness any of the confrontation between her fiance and Davis, Rouer said. "He's clearly reiterating there was a weapon there, there was a weapon there.". The cases were settled for an undisclosed amount in January 2014. 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