He tried to explain his story and excuse his lack of mentioning of a weapon, saying, I cannot recall if I ever conveyed the details of my decision making to you. He now understands that you need to put a weapon in that persons hand," said Kuritz. After Knox took the stand, four character witnesses testified for the defense. Around 7:30p.m., four teenage boys (Leland Brunson, Jordan Davis, Tommie Stornes, and Tevin Thompson) stopped at a Gate Petroleum gas station. Please logout and login again. 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. (CLICK ANY LINK TO DOWNLOAD PDF OF EACH LETTER): Dunn reference a few criminal defense lawyers he spoke with and how one mentioned to him that he never mentioned a gun to Rhonda. On Saturday Rouer appeared more composed, but she still fought back tears repeatedly while admitting that when Dunn was arrested she thought police were also going to lock her up. The police at the scene never found a gun, and the three surviving teenagers testified last week that they did not hide a weapon and were not carrying one in the Durango. He makes a joke to his grandmother about women being interested in his fiance, and then told his grandmother he could fall into a pile of shit and step out smelling like a rose. About the case, he discusses the misinformation and outright lies being reported by the media. Despite saying he doesnt use the word thug, on page 6 he uses it to his own grandmother and specifically calls the surviving boys, thugs.. These letters were written by Michael Dunn in jail and show a different side than you heard from him and his lawyers. All the calls took place in December 2012 while he was in jail and were either his fiance, Rhonda Rouer, or his parents, Phillip and Sandra Dunn. Dunn sounds incredulous that he has been imprisoned, andblames Davis 100 percent for what happened. Mr. Dunn said he saw Mr. Davis with a weapon. Given the traditions of the time . The couple came to town to attend the wedding of Michael. He told his grandmother that the boys were liars and blames the media for favoring white on black crimes. The. Black thug. He also asked his daughter to ask her mom to contact him as a neighbor had told someone Dunn choked her. As the Durango backed up quickly to elude the gunfire, Mr. Dunn stepped out of his own car, dropped to one knee and fired more volleys to thwart any blind fire, or wild, random shooting out the car window, he said. That led to a legal challenge later in the day by the Florida Times-Union for the release of transcripts from the conversation. 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. [19][20] Forensic scientists determined that in the short distance the boys traveled, a weapon could not have been stashed in a place that would not have been immediately visible to crime scene investigators. The next morning, after the couple saw news reports that someone had died at the gas station, Mr. Dunn said he called a neighbor, a federal law enforcement official, and told him he had to discuss something with him when he got home. [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. She said she could still hear the loud music as she walked up to the store. 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. She is a key witness in her boyfriend's -Michael Dunn- murder trial. If you remember about this case when it first happened, youll know Rhonda was with Dunn when the incident that took Jordans life, occurred. A fourth teenager, the driver, has a third-degree felony conviction. Former WWE RAW Women's champion and UFC Women's Bantamweight Champion Ronda Rousey, has not been on WWE television since her loss at WrestleMania 35 to Becky Lynch, who went home with both the RAW. A hapless witness, she herself dodged. 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. He wrote, "I finished a novel I had been reading. 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. It was the perfect time to come in a little hot!". Musser was one of the lead detectives who ended up going to Brevard County to interview Dunn after he was arrested. They pulled by a red SUV blasting rap music, she said. However, unlike the prior trial, Rouer is no longer with Dunn. Davis, who was sitting in the right rear passenger seat, then told his friend to turn the music back up and cursed at Dunn. We were very happy, Rouer told the court, her voice cracking. The police arrested him shortly after he arrived in Brevard, a two-and-a-half-hour drive away. She said she rushed back to the car where Dunn "urgently" asked her to get in. 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. Rouer told the court she is no longer engaged to Michael Dunn. China's Xi heralds 'unbreakable' friendship with Belarus, an ally of Russia, Nissan recalls over 800K SUVs because a key defect can cut off the engine, Chicago voters resoundingly rejected Mayor Lori Lightfoot's reelection bid, China is buying more U.S. farmland, and some say that's a national security threat, Chinese officials monitor House panel hearing on U.S. economic competition with China, Sequential hurricanes are becoming more common because of climate changes. Here is what he says happened after he asked the teenagers in the SUV to turn down their music. Kuritz says judging by the writing in Dunn's letter he believes the accused killer understand it might be presented in court. Dunn was convicted on three counts of attempted second-degree murder for firing at three other teenagers who were with Davis and one count of firing into an occupied vehicle. 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. In addition to personal injury and wrongful death, our firm handles family law matters and select criminal defense cases. The last state witness of the day was also from the FDLE, Maria Pagan, who is an expert in firearms and ballistics. Rouer told police Dunn said "I hate that thug music," when the couple pulled up next to the SUV holding Davis. [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. "But Im just saying, you never know, I dont want to make any promises about the future when I dont know how Im gonna feel in the future," said the former WWE RAW Women's champion. When Daviss fianc returned from the store where she had bought wine, Dunn sped away, leaving three boys with their dying friend. ", "Jury Fails to Reach Verdict on Murder Charge in Michael DunnTrail", "Florida Man's Fiance Contradicts Parts of his Testimony in Killing of Teenager", "Song played in Jordan Davis shooting revealed", "Friends describe moments before Jordan Davis died", "Michael Dunn 'Loud Music' Verdict: Mistrial For First-Degree Murder Charge Causes Outrage", "Michael Dunn testifies; fiancee says he never told her about gun; closings Wednesday", "Michael Dunn's girlfriend: 'I heard pop, pop, pop'. He was still discussing whether Cory or the process was to blame and decided it was the process. When she did find out, she was willingly honest during her interrogation and spoke against her husband on the day of the trial. Dunn and his fiance Rhonda Rouer traveled from their home in Brevard County to attend Dunn's son's wedding in Orange Park, near Jacksonville, Florida. 2023 Phillips & Hunt. H.S., Torrington, CT and Vero Beach Senior High, graduating in the class of 1983. There are only 25 here, but wrote many more. It was WrestleMania. The incident started after an argument over loud music. Dunn was originally tried for murder in February. 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. I asked what was that, she recalled, after hearing the shots. Siniscal said he had a "high-risk" arrest warrant for Michael Dunn. [49] In 2020, she defeated Handel in a rematch to win reelection to a second term. Florida Mans Fiance Contradicts Parts of His Testimony in Killing of Teenager, https://www.nytimes.com/2014/02/12/us/florida-mans-fiancee-contradicts-parts-of-his-testimony-in-killing-of-teenager.html, Michael Dunn told a Jacksonville jury on Tuesday that his decision to fire repeatedly at a vehicle holding four teenagers was a matter of life or death.. The trial was halted briefly Saturday morning when a juror was dismissed. Healey said he was concerned about protecting the identity of the juror. "I think maybe he understands this will be coming into trial one day and he wants a jury who sees it to be thinking he's a good person, he's reading the bible in there," said Kuritz. Dunn repeatedly told her to get into the car, and when she did she saw him put the gun he carried in the glove compartment. [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. But no weapon was found at the scene and Rouer said the Durango had already fled when she looked outside. 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. 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? He tells his grandmother the appellate court made a chicken shit decision, calls the judge not very bright, and says he is either a victim of reverse discrimination or a political prisoner. He thinks the blacks seem to be calling the shots and the whites who live in Jacksonville know how the blacks behave here. Dunn addresses Rhondas testimony and coaches her a little and also encourages her to take a Valium if she gets nervous. Despite claiming he doesnt use the word thug, he calls Ron Davis the daddy of the thug. He also talks about the Bible and then brings up the 3 thugs in the SUV and calls it a rotten culture. He wants white jurors as hed rather be judged by 12 than carried by 6.. The couple drove back to their hotel, ordered a pizza and Dunn made them some alcoholic drinks. Attorneys spar in loud music murder trial", "Michael Dunn Verdict: Florida Man Found Guilty Of Attempted Murder In Loud-Music Trial", "Teens testify shooter Dunn said "Are you talking to me? Gabel cautioned Healey that "the mistake" being made Saturday was "the same one made in the first trial.". 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