JORDAN DAVIS - 17 yo - / Charged: Michael Dunn - Jacksonville FL

Argument over loud music led to teen's fatal shooting, cops say

Investigators say Michael Dunn, 45, of Brevard County (right) shot Jordan Davis, 17, of Jacksonville on Nov. 23, 2012 in an argument over loud music. (November 27, 2012)

By Susan Jacobson, Orlando Sentinel

11:01 p.m. EST, November 26, 2012

A Brevard County man was in jail Monday, accused of shooting a teenager dead in an argument over loud music.

Michael David Dunn, 45, and his girlfriend were in Jacksonville Friday for Dunn's son's wedding when they stopped at a convenience store, Jacksonville sheriff's Lt. Rob Schoonover said.

Jordan Russell Davis, 17, and several other teenagers were sitting in a sport utility vehicle in the parking lot when Dunn pulled up next to them in a car and asked them to turn down their music, Schoonover said.

Jordan and Dunn exchanged words, and Dunn pulled a gun and shot eight or nine times, striking Jordan twice, Schoonover said. Jordan was sitting in the back seat. No one else was hurt.

Dunn's attorney Monday said her client acted responsibly and in self-defense. She did not elaborate.

Dunn's girlfriend and the driver of Jordan's vehicle were in Gate Food Post, 8251 Southside Blvd., when the shooting happened. Dunn and his girlfriend took off afterward, and witnesses jotted down their tag number, deputies said.

They were staying in a Jacksonville hotel when they heard a news report Saturday morning indicating someone had died in the shooting, deputies said. They then returned to Brevard.

Dunn, a gun collector, was arrested Saturday at his home in Satellite Beach on charges of murder and attempted murder. He was being held without bail.

Jordan, who was a student at Samuel W. Wolfson High School, a magnet school in Duval County, will be buried in his hometown of Marietta, Ga. He is survived by his parents and a brother. Jordan worked at Winn-Dixie, according to his Facebook page.

Florida corporate records show Dunn is vice president of Dunn & Dunn Data Systems in Vero Beach. He supervises software development, according to his LinkedIn profile.

http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/florida/os-teen-shot-dead-loud-music-20121126,0,289709.story

Jordan Davis, Michael Dunn loud music shooting case update: Dunn told police he felt threatened


Seventeen-year-old Jordan Davis, among the teens, was fatally wounded. Forty-five-year-old
Michael Dunn of Brevard County, Florida, was arrested on Saturday and
charged in the fatal shooting.
Photographer: CENTRAL FLORIDA NEWS 13

Posted 11/24/2012
Last updated 10 hours 17 minutes ago

Read more: http://www.wptv.com/dpp/news/national/jordan-davis-michael-dunn-loud-music-shooting-case-update-dunn-told-police-he-felt-threatened#ixzz2DUUHDuxR




Read more: http://www.wptv.com/dpp/news/national/jordan-davis-michael-dunn-loud-music-shooting-case-update-dunn-told-police-he-felt-threatened#ixzz2DUUHDuxR



A Florida man was denied bond Monday on a murder charge stemming from a weekend shooting that started with a complaint about loud music and ended with a teenager dead.

A statement by the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office described a Friday-night confrontation in a gas station parking lot that escalated into at least eight shots being fired at a car carrying a group of teenagers.

Seventeen-year-old Jordan Davis, among the teens, was fatally wounded. Forty-five-year-old Michael Dunn of Brevard County, Florida, was arrested on Saturday and charged in the fatal shooting.

According to the statement from the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office, Dunn told authorities that he had asked the teens to turn down loud music from their vehicle adjacent to his, as he waited while his girlfriend, who was returning with him from a wedding, went inside the gas station to make a purchase.

Dunn told police he felt threatened by the response from the teens, the statement said.

Dunn's attorney, Robin Lemonidis, told CNN Monday that Dunn told police that he reacted after having seen a gun barrel in the window of the teens' car and after hearing a profanity-laced string of threats against him and his girlfriend while the teens motioned they were opening the door.

Lemonidis said that was when Dunn reached for his gun and opened fire on the vehicle. She added that, "When all the evidence has been flushed out, I believe that it will be extremely clear that Mr. Dunn acted as any responsible firearm-owner would have under the same circumstances."

Eight or nine shots were fired at the teens' car, the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office statement added.

There were no guns found inside the teens' car, the statement said.

Lemonidis said her client and his girlfriend left the scene after the shooting, fearing that they had encountered gang members and that more would follow.

The couple went to a local hotel for the night, and saw the news the next morning that Davis had died. They returned to Dunn's home in Brevard County, where local police arrested him Saturday on an out-of-county warrant.

Dunn was arraigned Monday afternoon, and Lemonidis said she entered a not-guilty plea on her client's behalf.

Ron Davis, the victim's father, told CNN affiliate WAWS that he wants to see justice, "Whether it be through the legal system or to God. God's going to punish him for that, so me, I don't want to do anything to him."

• By: Jack Maddox, CNNRead more: http://www.wptv.com/dpp/news/national/jordan-davis-michael-dunn-loud-music-shooting-case-update-dunn-told-police-he-felt-threatened#ixzz2DRiScvvQ
  

Michael Dunn, accused of killing 17-year-old Jordan Davis, gets new attorney

12:05 AM, Dec 11, 2012
Written by Heather Crawford

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- The two attorneys who were representing Michael Dunn, the man charged with the murder of 17-year-old Jordan Davis, tell First Coast News they are no longer representing Dunn.

Robin Lemonidis and Mitch Stone said Monday that Dunn's family has hired West Palm Beach attorney Cory Strolla to represent Dunn.

While it is not known if he will use the "Stand Your Ground" law in Dunn's defense, Davis' mother is fighting to get the law repealed.

Lucia McBath is trying to get 25,000 signatures on an online petition by January 1, 2013 to "Declare 'Stand Your Ground' laws illegal in accordance with federal law. Require states amend laws to match federal law." White House staff will review the petition and issue an official response if 25,000 people sign it.

"We don't have to stand by and watch more people be affected and more people dying because of it," said McBath.

McBath doesn't want any other family to have to go through the devastating pain that she is experiencing. Davis, her only child, died after being shot during an argument at a Southside gas station that police say started over loud music.

RELATED: Davis' accused killer's jail visitation list

Dunn's former attorney Lemonidis previously said her client acted in self-defense when he felt threatened for his life. She claimed Dunn saw someone in the car Jordan was in flash a shotgun. Police said Jordan and his friends were not armed.

Florida was the first in the nation to enact the "Stand Your Ground" law that justifies the use of deadly force if someone fears death or great bodily harm regardless of where they are. It's a law that has Floridians split.

You can share your thoughts on Florida's "Stand Your Ground" law on our Facebook page.

http://www.firstcoastnews.com/topstories/article/286631/483/Man-accused-of-killing-teen-gets-new-attorney?odyssey=tab|topnews|bc|large

Michael Dunn, accused in Jordan Davis' death, refuses to be served civil suit paperwork

7:24 PM, Feb 6, 2013
Heather Crawford

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- The man accused of killing 17-year-old Jordan Davis refused to be served paperwork on Tuesday.

The server hired by attorney John Phillips, who is representing Davis' parents and two of the teens in the car with him the night he was killed, came to the Duval County Jail to serve 45-year-old Michael Dunn with summons for two civil lawsuits.

He said Dunn was alone in a small cell and the guard managed to get him to come out.

But Randall Hoke said what happened next is something that has never happened in his 20 years of serving paperwork.

"He came out and was face to face with me on the other side of the glass and I explained to him as the guards were there, this was a 20-day summons attached to the lawsuits, etc., and you're being served. And that was pretty much his answer: 'No,' as he stared you down and just said 'You're not serving me.'"

Hoke said he's never had an inmate refused to be served. But when someone does refuse a server can leave the paperwork at their feet or right by them.

The problem here according to Hoke is that the guard refused to let him leave the paperwork so there is some question as to whether or not Dunn has really been served.

Phillips said he's not sure what he's going to do yet but may have to wait until Dunn appears in open court on February 19 to serve him.

We called Dunn's attorney but he hasn't returned our call. Jacksonville Sheriff's Office spokeswoman Lauri-Ellen Smith said the policy is if an inmate refuses to be served, then the jail will make a copy of the summons and put it in that inmate's file so the inmate is technically served.

Smith said they are looking into that to see if that indeed happened today.

http://www.firstcoastnews.com/topstories/article/296340/483/Man-accused-in-teens-death-refuses-to-be-served-civil-suit-paperwork

Man charged with murder of Jordan Davis appears in court

Published: 9/19 11:30 am

ACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- The man charged in the murder of Jordan Davis appeared in Duval County court on Thursday.

Micheal Dunn is accused of killing Jordan Davis, 17, at a Southside gas station in November 2012. Police say the unarmed teenager was shot over loud music.

Judge Russell Healey said he wants to have more frequent pre-trial conferences, and would like to decide on a trial date in October.

Dunn's next pretrial hearing will be on Oct. 9, another pre-trial hearing will take place on Oct. 24.

Dunn requested to waive his pretrial hearings, but Healy told him he needs to attend.

http://www.fox30jax.com/content/topstories/story/Man-charged-with-murder-of-Jordan-Davis-appears/70YFllW8hEiD1D0DvDU2gg.cspx

Judge will allow release of Michael Dunn's jailhouse calls, other evidence
Defense attempted to block release of 'discovery' material in case

Published On: Jan 24 2014 01:54:00 PM EST  
Updated On: Jan 24 2014 07:42:09 PM EST

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -  Circuit Judge Russell Healey on Friday denied a defense motion that would have kept hours of calls Michael Dunn made from jail and other evidence gathered in his murder trial from release to the media.

DOCUMENT: Judge denies motion to block access to Dunn material

"This Court now orders that the witness information and jail calls be made available to the public," Healey wrote.

Dunn is accused of killing 17-year-old Jordan Davis in the parking lot of a Gate convenience store the day after Thanksgiving 2012. Dunn complained about loud music from Davis' SUV, and told police he fired into the vehicle in which Davis was a passenger when he thought he saw a gun.

Jury selection for Dunn's second-degree murder trial is scheduled to begin Feb. 3. He faces life in prison without the possibility of parole if convicted.

Last year, prosecutors released letters Dunn wrote from jail while awaiting trial and other material investigators had gathered in the case.

Healey complained he didn't know the letters were being released and was worried they could taint the potential jury pool. He then said he would review all material before it could be released in the future. Attorneys for WJXT and other media outlets appealed that decision and the First District Court of Appeals ordered Healey to hold a hearing on the defense motion to block the release of this evidence.

During a hearing Tuesday on this motion and a second request to delay the trial, prosecutors sided with Dunn's attorney, Cory Strolla, in asking that the discovery material -- evidence gathered that might or might not be used in the case -- not be made public.

Channel 4's attorney, Ed Birk, argued the calls should be released, but State Attorney Angela Corey said that would interfere with her case.

The judge sided with public access.

"We won the important legal point, which is access to these records before trial is guaranteed under the law," Birk said.

After Friday's ruling, Strolla issued this statement:

"Even though we still stand firm that the Court could have taken judicial notice of the prejudicial pretrial exposure in this case and grant the protective order, we still feel that the Pretrial coverage has been unfairly biased against Michael Dunn, and not representative of the actual truth.

"We look forward to having Mr. Dunn exonerated at trial when the facts do come to light, not the preconceived opinions that have been portrayed thus far."

Corey's office only said: "We have received the order. We are reviewing it, and will comply with the order."

The State Attorney's Office estimates it would take nine to 10 weeks for employees to go through the material to redact names, addresses phone numbers and other private information before it could be released, and the cost to the media would be over $6,000.

"We won't get the tapes before trial, but we made the legal point," Birk said. "It should not have to go that way. The station and other news media should not have had to spend thousands of dollars to preserve the right to this access for public records, which is in the law."

Late Friday afternoon, attorneys for the Florida Times-Union and WTLV/WJXX filed an emergency appeal asking the court to direct the state attorney's office to release the jail calls immediately.

They contend the state attorney's office completed its review of the jail calls in November, and for it to say it won't start the redacting process now until there's a deposit of $3,000 is "unconscionable" and a "direct flagrant contravention" of the appeals courts order.

http://www.news4jax.com/news/judge-will-allow-release-of-michael-dunns-jailhouse-calls-other-evidence/-/475880/24097660/-/p1m1aw/-/index.html

Trial Begins For Florida Man Accused of Shooting Teen Over Loud Music


Feb. 3, 2014
By ALYSSA NEWCOMB
Alyssa Newcomb 
Digital Reporter

Alyssa Newcomb More from Alyssa »

Digital Reporter

via Good Morning America


Michael David Dunn smiles at family and friends who came to testify at his bond hearing in Jacksonville, Fla., March 19, 2013.
Will Dickey/The Florida Times-Union/AP Photo

The trial of a Florida man accused of shooting a black teenager begins today in a case that has drawn similarities to the George Zimmerman and Trayvon Martin case.

Michael Dunn, 47, is charged with first-degree murder and attempted murder after police said a November 2012 dispute with a group of teenagers outside of a Jacksonville convenience store turned deadly.

Dunn and his fiancée stopped at a convenience store on their way home from a wedding reception and pulled up next to a sport utility vehicle where Jordan Davis, 17, was sitting with friends, according to police.

Authorities said one of the teens complied when Dunn told them to turn down their music, however, Davis told him to turn down the volume again.

Dunn, who had a concealed weapons permit, then allegedly pulled out his handgun and fired several shots into the vehicle, fatally striking Davis in the back and groin.

Police said Dunn told them he feared for his life. Dunn's attorney said he saw a gun and fired in self defense.

Jury selection for the trial began today.

The George Zimmerman-Trayvon Martin case brought focus on Florida's stand your ground law, although Zimmerman later waived that defense. At his trial,Zimmerman, 29, maintained he shot Martin, 17, in self-defense.

Angela Corey, the state attorney who tried the Zimmerman case, will also be prosecuting Dunn.

While Zimmerman stayed at the scene and wasn't immediately arrested, police said Dunn left the convenience store. He was arrested the next day after police said they tracked him through his license plate number.


http://abcnews.go.com/US/trial-begins-michael-dunn-florida-man-accused-shooting/story?id=22348612

6 men, 10 women seated for Michael Dunn trial

Updated: 7:23 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 5, 2014
Posted: 4:30 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 5, 2014
By Stephanie Brown

Jacksonville, FL — A day long of deliberating yielded results.

State Attorney Angela Corey began questioning the 62 remaining in the jury pool late Tuesday. Only 61 showed up on Wednesday morning when she resumed through the lunch break short after noon. From there, defense Attorney Cory Strolla took over, carrying questioning through just before 4 PM.

Corey, Strolla and Judge Russell Healey then met in closed chambers to figure out that final 12 juror and 4 alternate panel.

Who the alternates are has not been made clear. The panel overall consists of 10 women and 6 men. We were not given many personal details on the jurors, which means we can’t confirm the age and race of each person. Visually, the pool reporter in the courtroom is reporting 10 white jurors, 3 black, 1 Asian, 1 Indian and 1 Hispanic.

Here is a breakdown of some of the basic information we have gathered through jury selection questioning, as submitted by the jurors:

J7: white female, lives on the Southside, single, young, works in retail
J10: black female, lives in Orange Park, single, nursing student
J12: white male, lives on the Westside, married, retired teacher and former Navy, 11 children and step children, one stepson has been arrested.
J18: white female, lives in Arlington, single, works in home healthcare, has a sister who was arrested on felony charges in Ohio
J23: white male, lives in Riverside, married, works as a Department of Defense consultant, two adult children, has a good friend who was arrested in Clay County, skeet shoots, has guns he inherited
J36: white female, lives on the Southside, married, works as an account manager, has served on a civil jury, has an adult son, owns a revolver
J46: Asian female, lives on the Southside, married, works in management, has personally experienced violent crime by working in a bank that was robbed, doesn’t like guns
J55: black female, lives in Riverside, single, works as an occupational therapist and caregiver, believes her parents have guns
J62: white male, lives in Arligton, married, works as a welder, has children ages 18, 22 and 24
J64: white male, lives on the Southside, married, works with software development, has family and friends who were victims of violent crime, has an uncle convicted of armed robbery in Tennessee
J67: Hispanic male, lives in Argyle, married, works in civil service relating to aircraft, has children ages 18, 22 and 28, has a son arrested on a misdemeanor
J70: white female, lives in Springfield, married, works in a bank, has daughters ages 10 and 16
J73: white female, lives on the Southside, divorced, works as a sales executive, has sons ages 15 and 18, inherited shotguns in her divorce but keeps them locked away and unused
J82: Indian female, lives in the Baymeadows area, married, works in family medicine with an affiliation to the Navy, has children ages 12, 13, and 19, was personally a victim of theft
J83: black female, lives in Arlington, single, works as a telecommunications specialist and is a student, her significant other’s cousin was murdered, a cousin and uncle of hers have been convicted of violent crimes, she trained with a gun during a prior job in security but hasn’t kept up with the training and does not currently use a gun
J87: white male, lives on the Westside, married, retired self-employed, has a 42-year-old son and 45-year-old daughter, has had a member of her family arrested.

As notable as information on those selected are details on who wasn’t selected.  WOKV has noted that nobody who identified as having or actively seeking a concealed weapons permit was put on this jury panel. Additionally, none of those who identified as having an issue with “loud music” were seated.

The jurors have been allowed to return to their homes for the evening, but must report to their undisclosed hotel by 8 AM. The hotel, any restaurants which will be visited, and anyone who visits the jurors during sequestration will all sign confidentiality agreements, according to the judge. There will be limited visitation allowed on Sunday. Healey is letting jurors decide if they want to hold the trial on Saturday- that decision is expected Thursday.

Opening statements for Dunn’s trial are now scheduled for noon Thursday. Judge Healey says there are other trial matters that will be handled ahead of time, but did not specifically reference what those will be. WOKV plans to continue providing coverage through this trial.

You can get instant information on Twitter by following @WOKVNews and @NewsAndNom

http://www.wokv.com/news/news/michael-dunn-jury-selection-decision-coming-soon/ndD3H/

February 16, 2014, 8:31 AM

Michael Dunn verdict: Lawyers plot next move after jury deadlocks on murder charge

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- A Florida jury's inability to agree on a murder charge will give prosecutors and defense attorneys fodder for their next moves in the case of a teen fatally shot after an argument over loud music.

Michael Dunn, a 47-year-old software developer, was convicted Saturday of attempted murder for shooting into a carful of teenagers after the argument but jurors couldn't agree on the most serious charge of first-degree murder. A mistrial was declared on the murder charge.

State Attorney Angela Corey said her office would consider seeking a retrial of Dunn on a first-degree murder charge.

Meanwhile, defense attorney Cory Strolla said he plans to appeal based on several issues, including how the jury could reach guilty verdicts on four counts and deadlock on another.

Dunn was charged with fatally shooting 17-year-old Jordan Davis, of Marietta, Ga., in 2012 after the argument over loud music coming from the SUV occupied by Davis and three friends outside a Jacksonville convenience store. Dunn, who is white, had described the music to his fiancee as "thug music." He claimed he acted in self-defense.

After more than 30 hours of deliberations over four days, the 12 jurors found Dunn guilty of three counts of attempted second-degree murder and a count of firing into an occupied car.

"He's in disbelief, and it has not sunk in," Strolla told reporters following the jury's verdict. Strolla said Dunn's parents were devastated.

"I have no earthly clue what I could have done differently," Strolla said.

Earlier in the day, the panel said in a note to Judge Russell L. Healey that they couldn't agree on the murder charge. They also had the option of convicting him of second-degree murder or manslaughter. The judge asked them to continue their work, and they went back to the deliberation room for two more hours before returning with a verdict.

"I've never seen a case where deliberations have gone on for this length of time," Healey said afterward, praising the jurors. "They've embraced their civic duty, and they are to be commended for that."

Jurors declined to talk to the media.

Dunn showed no emotion as the verdicts were read. Each attempted second-degree murder charge carries a maximum sentence of 30 years in prison, while the fourth charge he was convicted on carries a maximum of 15. A sentencing date will be set later.

Davis' parents each left the courtroom in tears. Afterward his mother, Lucia McBath, expressed gratitude for the verdict. Sunday would have been the teen's 19th birthday.

"We are so grateful for the truth," McBath said. "We are so grateful that the jurors were able to understand the common sense of it all."

Jurors heard testimony that Dunn, who has a concealed weapons permit, fired 10 shots, hitting the vehicle nine times. Davis was the only person hit.

Dunn, in claiming self-defense, testified that he thought he saw a firearm pointed at him from the SUV as the argument escalated. No weapon was found in the SUV.

Dunn also told jurors he feared for his life, perceiving "this was a clear and present danger."

Prosecutors contended that Dunn opened fire because he felt disrespected by Davis. The teen made his friend turn the music back up after they initially turned it down at Dunn's request. Dunn was parked in the spot next to the SUV outside the convenience store.

According to authorities, Dunn became enraged about the music and ensuing argument. One person walking out of the convenience store said he heard Dunn say, "You are not going to talk to me like that."

Dunn testified he heard someone in the SUV shouting expletives and the word "cracker," which is a derogatory term for white people.

"That defendant didn't shoot into a carful of kids to save his life. He shot into it to save his pride," Assistant State Attorney John Guy told the jury earlier in the week. "Jordan Davis didn't have a weapon, he had a big mouth."

The trial was Florida's latest to raise questions about self-defense and race, coming six months after George Zimmerman was acquitted in the shooting of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin in Sanford, about 125 miles south of Jacksonville. The Dunn trial was prosecuted by the same State Attorney's Office that handled the Zimmerman case.

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/michael-dunn-verdict-lawyers-plot-next-move-after-jury-deadlocks-on-murder-charge/

Judge delays sentencing for ‘Loud Music’ killing

A judge is postponing until Friday a decision whether he will sentence Michael Dunn - who was convicted of attempted murder during a spat with Jordan Davis, 17, over loud music - ahead of the man's retrial on first-degree murder.

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Monday, March 10, 2014, 1:27 PM

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — A judge in Jacksonville is postponing until Friday a decision on whether he will sentence a Florida man convicted of attempted murder during a confrontation over loud music ahead of the 47-year-old software developer's retrial on first-degree murder.

Jurors deadlocked last month on a first-degree murder charge for Michael Dunn in the shooting of 17-year-old Jordan Davis outside a Jacksonville convenience store. Prosecutors have vowed to retry him on the count.

Dunn's attorney on Monday asked that sentencing be postponed until after the second trial. Defense attorney Cory Strolla says he is concerned that statements Dunn makes at a sentencing hearing could be used against him in his second trial.

Strolla says he is stepping down as Dunn's attorney and asked Judge Russell Healey to appoint public defenders.

Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/news/crime/judge-delays-sentencing-loud-music-killing-article-1.1716708#ixzz2vm8Kboaj