That jury convicted him of three counts of attempted murder but deadlocked on whether he was guilty of Davis' murder. 7 Likes, 0 Comments - Rhonda Sunshine Miller (@artateher_sunshine) on Instagram: "The best thing that ever happened to me #therapy" On the way back to their hotel, the two decided to stop at the Gate Petroleum gas station to purchase a bottle of wine. Dunn has claimed Davis threatened him with a gun, and he fired to defend himself. 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. Rouer testified she did not hear any arguing. Rouer said after she woke up the next morning she saw a news report about a teen getting killed at a gas station. Dunn testified that on the drive home he called a neighbor who works in law enforcement to arrange to speak to him about the shooting, but phone records indicate that the neighbor actually called him, and Rouer testified that the shooting was never mentioned during the call. That means we watch, along with Davis parents,the testimony of Dunn and his nervous fianc, Rhonda Rouer (a key figure in contradicting Dunns testimony about claiming to see Davis wielding a weapon). "[24][25], In closing arguments at the first trial, the defense lawyer for Dunn cited the language of Florida's stand-your-ground law. She started by telling Assistant State Attorney Erin Wolfson that they had a good day that . She looked outside and saw Dunn leaning out of his window. Testimony in the trial highlighted how loud music from the teens vehicle initiated a verbal confrontation between Davis and Dunn who told the teens to turn down the music. On their way back to their hotel, Rouer said the two stopped at the Gate gas station on Southside Boulevard to purchase wine and chips. Dunn recounts a new version of the facts where he now as added a threat, this shit is going down now to be circulated to his family and asks his brother to include that. 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.. Simons testified that the cause of Davis' death was multiple gunshot wounds and the manner of his death was a homicide. The prosecutor, John Guy, expressing incredulity during his cross-examination, also picked apart Mr. Dunns testimony. They were represented by John Michael Phillips in wrongful death and defamation lawsuits against Dunn. Michael Dunn's ex fiance Rhonda Rouer is questioned regarding the shooting and killing of an unarmed teenager by Dunn. Rouer said she had a glass of red wine and about three rum and cokes as well as champagne. We were very happy, Rouer told the court, her voice cracking. Rhonda Rouer (a key figure in contradicting Dunn's testimony about claiming to see Davis wielding a weapon). Dunn stated that he received "ineffective assistance of counsel". Circuit Judge Russell Healey and attorneys on both sides spent more than an hour discussing and questioning the juror, mentioned in a Folio Weekly column published Friday. The parking lot and the trash bins were searched four days later after they learned Dunn was claiming self-defense, Musser said. "We were very happy," said Rouer, in tears. She revealed in a video with her husband Travis Browne, how she got injured: "I did break my pinkie knuckle. She also said that Mr. Dunn never called their neighbor to say he wanted to discuss something important. During the last trial Dunn testified that Davis had a gun, and prosecutors rebutted his testimony by recalling Rouer and having her reveal that Dunn never told her that Davis had a gun from the moment she got into his car until the next day when he was arrested. When Rouer woke up the next morning, she saw reports on TV about the gas-station shooting. A witness memorized his licence plate and he was arrested at his home a day later. 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. Rhonda Rouer took the stand and started trembling and sobbing as she began to get into what happened on the night of the shooting. [22][23] In his criminal trial, Dunn had been declared "broke. Rouer told police Dunn said "I hate that thug music," when the couple pulled up next to the SUV holding Davis. 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. They also said the police had failed to thoroughly search the surrounding area, including trash bins close to the parking lot. Rouer and Dunn pulled up to the Gate gas station on Baymeadows Road, next to a red Dodge Durango. [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. 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. 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. But Mr. Dunn struggled to preserve his credibility on Tuesday after his distraught fiance took the stand and, her eyes welling with tears, contradicted some major points of his testimony. It was the perfect time to come in a little hot!". Controversybegan before anyone even took the stand in day three of the first-degree murder retrial on Saturday. She said she rushed back to the car where Dunn "urgently" asked her to get in. He calls the civil suit we filed bogus. The Armor of Light premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival in April 2015 before opening theatrically on October 30, 2015. 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. They also heard from the lead detective in the case with the Jacksonville Sheriffs Office and several forensics experts. He wanted his family to give Cory direction. He wanted a Stand Your Ground hearing and a ton of experts, including an expert on the thug sub-culture. He also wanted a more active roll in the press, including mentioning how unreliable the 3 thugs in SUV are. 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. They didn't call 911, and didn't know Davis had died until the next morning when Dunn was arrested. Dramatic Testimony in Florida Stand Your Ground Trial Michael Dunn's fiance Rhonda Rouer takes the stand as a witness for the prosecution. "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. Meet 46-year-old Rhonda Lynn Hallock Rouer. [51] The murder is believed to have inspired activism of the Black Lives Matter movement. Now I'm back to reading the Bible and playing solitaire.". They returned to their hotel where they ordered pizza. She is a key witness in her boyfriends Michael Dunn- murder trial. That juror was eventually dismissed by the judge Saturday. The deputy said he armed himself with an AR-15 rifle and his sidearm to make the arrest, saying it part of the department's tactics when there is a "high-risk" arrest warrant involved. [26], On February 15, 2014, after more than 30 hours of deliberation, the jury found Dunn guilty on the three counts of attempted murder. ", "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'. [57], Last edited on 22 February 2023, at 01:33, First District Court of Appeal for the State of Florida, "Dunn jury hears from former fiancee, juror dismissed", "Michael Dunn, Jordan Davis, and America's Racist Heritage", "Black Teen's Shooter Rants About Killing 'Thugs' So They 'May Take the Hint and Change Their Behavior', https://efactssc-public.flcourts.org/casedocuments/2019/2063/2019-2063_notice_88213_notice2ddiscretionary20juris2028direct20conflict29.pdf, "Did Jordan Davis have weapon? 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. 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. "I don't want anybody figuring out who this guy is," Healey said. He is still referring to his demands to his lawyer Cory Strolla and Cory apparently was determined to withdraw if Dunn continued to force him into a premature trial date and again refers to Davis history with authority figures, as if he was one. Musser indicated that he did not view the friends as suspects, which is why their statements to police were not videotaped, and why the adjacent parking lot was never searched. While at the cashier's counter, Rouer heard the sound of gunshots. 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. "Yes, I know," she replied. The last state witness of the day was also from the FDLE, Maria Pagan, who is an expert in firearms and ballistics. . Dunn did not contact the police. With tissues in hand, Michael Dunn's fiance Rhonda Rouer took the stand today as a state's witness. In the aftermath of the. 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. Healey eventually agreed to have the transcripts emailed to Gabel for review. The derogatory comments came in aFolio Weekly interviewwith an excused potential juror. 2023 Cox Media Group. It looked like a firearm and he treated it like a firearm.. Early Saturday morning, Judge Russell Healey excused juror #4 because of a comment made by the juror that got published in Folio Weekly in an article titled, "An Interview with a Dunn Jury reject.". Investigators later searched the teenagers' SUV and found no weapons. 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 and SmackDown women's titles. There are only 25 here, but wrote many more. He wants this person to make comments on social media on his behalf. [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. The two had been engaged and living together at the time of the shooting. Testimony began with the Brevard County Deputy Carmine Siniscal on the stand, the state's 19th witness. All rights reserved. The trial is expected to be turned over to the jury on Wednesday after closing statements. She is a key witness in her boyfriend's -Michael Dunn- murder trial. 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. 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. However, unlike the prior trial, Rouer is no longer with Dunn. Dunn sounds incredulous that he has been imprisoned, andblames Davis 100 percent for what happened. The defense is expected to begin presenting its case late Monday morning. 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. 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. According to online records, the couple wedded May 22, 1989 in Indian River, Florida. On Monday morning, the state began by calling Wendy Meacham, an investigator with the Office of the Medical Examiner. We spend time getting to know Jordans friends, troubled by their loss and their own near-death experience. By using this website, you accept the terms of our Visitor Agreement and Privacy Policy, and understand your options regarding Ad Choices. 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. With little but his own words to bolster his self-defense case, Mr. Dunn, a software engineer from Brevard County, Fla., had little choice but to take the witness stand, legal experts said. In the article, a potential juror Richard David Smith, who happens to be a freelancer for Folio, spoke about his experience being screened for the trial. Rouer testified the couple went home to Brevard County after the shooting. But a new letter gives a look inside the mind of an accused killer. The press is made up of a bunch of liberal bastards. He said, Youd think Jacksonville was 90-95% back judging by the make up of the folks in jail here. He also mocked the Rolling Stone article about Jordan. Beforehand, the judge cautioned the court that if individuals felt they could not view these photos without outburst, they should leave the courtroom. From the other side, prosecutor John Guy (who also helped toprosecute the George Zimmerman case) framesthe defenses argument this way: When you cant argue the facts, argue the law; when you cant argue the law, argue the facts. 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. 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