Author Topic: Trial of Curtis Reeves, Florida Cinema Popcorn Shooting.  (Read 2352 times)

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Offline Wonderfulspam

Trial of Curtis Reeves, Florida Cinema Popcorn Shooting.
« on: February 10, 2022, 12:17:19 PM »

Curtis Reeves Murder Trial



On January 13, 2014, a retired police officer, Curtis Reeves (71), and his wife Vivian were preparing to watch an afternoon screening of “Lone Survivor” in a cinema in Tampa Bay, Florida.

Seated directly in front of the retired officer and his wife were another couple, Chad Oulson, a U.S Navy veteran, (43) & Nicole Oulson.



Curtis Reeves and Chad Oulson got into a dispute after Reeves told Oulson to stop texting on his phone during the movie opening previews.

Reeves left his seat & went to a reception area to complain to management about Oulson's phone use.
He then returned to his seat & according to Oulson's wife, Reeves continued to argue with Oulson.

At some point Chad Oulson took Reeves box of popcorn from him & threw it back in his face.

Curtis Reeves immediately pulled a pistol & fired one shot into Chad Oulson's chest, Oulson's wife was also hit in a finger by the same bullet, as she had her hand on Chad's chest attempting to calm him at the time.
Chad later died from the bullet injury.



Mr Reeves claims he was acting in self defence, not having known what had hit him & what might be coming next, that being 71 he was vulnerable to attack from the younger, stronger Oulson, & that being sat in his chair he had no opportunity to retreat.

A Stand Your Ground Trial was held in 2017, where a judge found Mr Reeves did not have automatic immunity.

After 8 years, due to various motions & delays, a jury trial of Mr Reeves, now 79, began this week. Currently still in jury selection, opening statements are expected to begin on Monday.

There is one low resolution black & white video of the shooting, which only shows Mr Reeves but captures the popcorn being thrown & Reeves leaning & reaching forward when shooting.

The video evidence & brief synopsis.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sAbstx5CQng


Members of Justice Forum Jury, from the video evidence, I ask your preliminary verdict.

Did the elderly Mr Reeves genuinely believe there was an imminent threat of death or great bodily harm?

Or, did the cantankerous ex policeman simply lose his temper when Mr Oulson argued back & threw some popcorn at him?
« Last Edit: February 13, 2022, 01:57:07 PM by Wonderfulspam »
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Offline Wonderfulspam

Re: Trial of Curtis Reeves, Florida Cinema Popcorn Shooting.
« Reply #1 on: February 10, 2022, 12:36:48 PM »

Audio statements made immediately after the shooting.


Curtis Reeves:  http://www.curtisreevestrial.com/files/1993.mp3


Nicole Oulson: http://www.curtisreevestrial.com/files/1991.mp3


Vivian Reeves: http://www.curtisreevestrial.com/files/1992.mp3


State of Florida vs Curtis Reeves Court Records

http://www.curtisreevestrial.com/other.asp
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Offline John

Re: Trial of Curtis Reeves, Florida Cinema Popcorn Shooting.
« Reply #2 on: February 10, 2022, 03:01:34 PM »
I have every sympathy with Mr Reeves, that other ignoramus got his just desserts albeit with fatal consequences. I fear Mr Reeves will be found guilty of something given recent American cases but it is impossible to say what of or what the consequences will be.
« Last Edit: February 10, 2022, 03:06:32 PM by John »
A malicious prosecution for a crime which never existed. An exposé of egregious malfeasance by public officials.
Indeed, the truth never changes with the passage of time.

Offline Wonderfulspam

Re: Trial of Curtis Reeves, Florida Cinema Popcorn Shooting.
« Reply #3 on: February 10, 2022, 03:09:43 PM »
I have every sympathy with Mr Reeves, that other ignoramus got his just desserts.

It's a difficult one John.

Reeves was provocative & also in his statement he claims he was right back in his seat with Oulson positioning to come over the seat towards him, but the video shows Mr Reeves had to lean & reach forward to shoot Oulson.

Reeves wife immediately thought it was unjustified.

I'll be interested to see if Reeves can convince the jury.

One mildly amusing thing I find in this terrible case is that there were signs indicating firearms & phones were prohibited in the building.

Mr Reeves was breaking a firearms rule whilst berating a guy for just using his phone, he wanted to watch the movie in peace, so he shot a guy. Maximum disturbance.

All them empty seats they could have got up & sat in instead.

What a senseless killing.

(This trial is televised by the way, I will post links to the live trial daily around 2:30 gmt.)
« Last Edit: February 10, 2022, 03:12:29 PM by Wonderfulspam »
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Offline John

Re: Trial of Curtis Reeves, Florida Cinema Popcorn Shooting.
« Reply #4 on: February 10, 2022, 04:19:37 PM »
It's a difficult one John.

Reeves was provocative & also in his statement he claims he was right back in his seat with Oulson positioning to come over the seat towards him, but the video shows Mr Reeves had to lean & reach forward to shoot Oulson.

Reeves wife immediately thought it was unjustified.

I'll be interested to see if Reeves can convince the jury.

One mildly amusing thing I find in this terrible case is that there were signs indicating firearms & phones were prohibited in the building.

Mr Reeves was breaking a firearms rule whilst berating a guy for just using his phone, he wanted to watch the movie in peace, so he shot a guy. Maximum disturbance.

All them empty seats they could have got up & sat in instead.

What a senseless killing.

(This trial is televised by the way, I will post links to the live trial daily around 2:30 gmt.)

Cheers Spammy. Might fit it in with the million other things requiring attention  8(8-))
A malicious prosecution for a crime which never existed. An exposé of egregious malfeasance by public officials.
Indeed, the truth never changes with the passage of time.

Offline Alf

Re: Trial of Curtis Reeves, Florida Cinema Popcorn Shooting.
« Reply #5 on: February 10, 2022, 09:53:02 PM »
What a sick, broken country America is, so very sad.

Offline Wonderfulspam

Re: Trial of Curtis Reeves, Florida Cinema Popcorn Shooting.
« Reply #6 on: February 12, 2022, 08:35:54 PM »

Listening to & partly watching the 2017 Stand Your Ground hearing today (while I did cooking & housework).

Many witnesses including Reeves, his wife & Oulson's wife, have already taken the stand during the 2017 hearing.

A witness who sat around 6 feet from Chad Oulson, testified that he heard bickering during the movie previews.
As the conflict escalated, he he saw Oulson's silhouette standing.

He heard something being thrown and Mr Reeves say something along the lines of 'I'll teach you or I'll show you to throw popcorn at me' followed by a gunshot.

Another witness, an off duty deputy who took Reeves gun from him & made him stay put after the shooting, testified that he heard Reeves wife say "that was no cause to shoot anyone."

Reeves leaned back and raised a finger at his wife and said "you shut your f------ mouth and don't say another word".

The deputy saw someone doing CPR on Oulson, & said he heard gurgling & the distinctive 'death rattle' of someone in their last moments, he said to Reeves something along the lines of 'he's about to die' & Reeves put his hands on his head & said "I can't f*cking believe what I've done".

Mr & Mrs Reeves denied these incidents in their testimony.  (His wife did as she was told).

Reeves wife claimed in her testimony that Mr Oulsen leaned forward towards Mr Reeves prior to the shooting (as if he was about to come over the seats) & that she had never felt so scared.

.............................

Curtis Reeves is charged with Second Degree Murder (Murder with a Depraved Mind)

"Murder with a Depraved Mind is committed when a person is killed, without any premeditated design, by an act imminently dangerous to another and evincing a depraved mind showing no regard for human life."

In Florida the charge has a maximum sentence of life in prison, minimum sentence of 25 years if a firearm is used.

Reeves has been bailed & on a tag at his house for the past 8 years, based on the video evidence compared to Reeves own testimony & that of the independent witnesses I've heard, he had probably better hope there are some sympathetic jurors who take pity due to his age.
« Last Edit: February 12, 2022, 11:30:58 PM by Wonderfulspam »
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Offline Wonderfulspam

Re: Trial of Curtis Reeves, Florida Cinema Popcorn Shooting.
« Reply #7 on: February 14, 2022, 02:58:27 PM »

Curtis Reeves Murder Trial : Day 1

https://youtu.be/y8Lkt0Pe8MM


Curtis Reeves Murder Trial : Day 2

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rVoqz1IptP4
« Last Edit: February 15, 2022, 04:11:14 PM by Wonderfulspam »
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Offline Wonderfulspam

Re: Trial of Curtis Reeves, Florida Cinema Popcorn Shooting.
« Reply #8 on: February 15, 2022, 07:55:06 PM »

Both the prosecution & defence openings were extremely poor considering they had 8 years to prepare them & the state have a big problem (apart from the fact they did a terrible job of preparing & coaching their witnesses)

The police took around 15 minutes to arrive & failed to immediately separate the movie goers after the shooting.

Witnesses were left talking amongst themselves & the defence are doing an excellent job so far of attacking credibility due to this potential for contamination.

One state witness has admitted he heard Oulson shouting the F'word & saw him leaning forward at Reeves just prior to the shooting, but never heard Reeves shouting back, the defence have managed to paint Oulson as being aggressive using the states own evidence.

I'm thinking Mr Reeves will have worked much harder on his testimony since his life depends on it.

This is a very slow trial in terms of witness turnover so far & at this rate could go beyond the predicted two weeks.
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Offline Wonderfulspam

Re: Trial of Curtis Reeves, Florida Cinema Popcorn Shooting.
« Reply #9 on: February 16, 2022, 09:09:12 AM »

Chad Oulson's widow takes stand in Day 1 of Curtis Reeves trial

DADE CITY, Fla. — Curtis Reeves and his attorney arrived at the courthouse Monday as opening statements were to begin in his second-degree murder trial of Chad Oulson.

Opening statements began just before 10 a.m. with the prosecution speaking first. The prosecution argued that the evidence will show that Reeves acted with ill will or spite at the time of the shooting, which must be proved for second-degree murder.

Prosecutors also argued that evidence would show the statement Reeves gave after the shooting was "not accurate."

In their opening statements, the defense argued they would show Reeves acted justifiably to protect himself and his wife. Attorneys for Reeves discussed his past with the Tampa Police Department, where he worked for 27 years, to show that he knew "about danger," and show that he "knows what a fist can do to somebody as a young person or an old person."

Attorneys went on to attest that jurors "must consider" Reeves' past training as a police officer and as the head of security at Busch Gardens, where he worked after he retired from TPD. The defense team said because of his past; Reeves learned how to assess a risk and spot danger.

The defense also told jurors they would hear from experts and other witnesses about Reeves' poor health and vulnerability.

The question isn’t whether Curtis Reeves shot and killed Chad Oulson at the theater on Jan. 13, 2014. It’s whether Reeves felt threatened enough by Oulson to justify shooting after the two argued over Oulson’s cellphone use in the theater.

Central to the case was the role of a tossed bag of movie popcorn. Defense attorneys said it wasn't the tossed popcorn, but that Reeves felt threatened enough by Oulson to fire his handgun in self-defense.

Around 3 p.m. Monday, Chad Oulson's wife Nicole Oulson was called to the stand by prosecutors.

She testified about the day of the shooting in 2014. She described Reeves sitting behind her and her husband and Reeves demanding that Chad put his phone away. She said her husband responded, "What's your problem? The movie hasn't even started yet."

She said at that point Reeves left to complain to management. She said that when Reeves returned the phone was away, and he said something to the effect of, "I see you put your phone away now that I told the manager."

Nicole said Chad again responded with "what's your problem?"

She described the scene to prosecutors and defense attorneys throughout the late afternoon before her testimony concluded around 5:45 p.m.

https://www.abcactionnews.com/news/region-pasco/chad-oulsons-widow-takes-stand-in-day-1-of-curtis-reeves-trial
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Offline Wonderfulspam

Re: Trial of Curtis Reeves, Florida Cinema Popcorn Shooting.
« Reply #10 on: February 16, 2022, 09:09:49 AM »

Several witnesses take stand in Day 2 of Curtis Reeves trial

Testimony in the Curtis Reeves trial began just before 9 a.m. on Tuesday, with the first witness for the prosecution being a witness who was in the theater at the time.

The witness, Charles Cummings Jr., recalled the day the shooting took place. He described seeing popcorn flying through the air and seeing the theater light up when the gun went off. He said after Chad Oulson was shot, he stumbled and fell at his feet. He said he attempted to resuscitate Oulson "the best I could" and recalled feeling blood on his hands.

Cummings, who was at the movie with his son who is disabled, said they sat in the end seats in the same row as Oulson and his wife. He described the theater as being "mid-light" at the time of the shooting, saying it wasn't dark or light.

Cummings described seeing the light from Oulson's cellphone and hearing the exchange between Reeves and Oulson about the phone as they watched the previews. He said there was some type of "interchange" between the two before Reeves stood up and left the theater. Cummings described Reeves as "shuffling his feet very quickly" and "mumbling to himself" as he left the theater.

During cross-examination, the defense asked Cummings about his statement to police at the time of the shooting and about the volume of the previews. The defense team went on to ask Cummings how much he was able to hear of the exchange between Oulson and Reeves. Cummings recalled hearing Oulson say something about texting his daughter or babysitter. Cummings, when asked by the defense if Oulson's voice was "loud" or "authoritative," said Oulson's tone was frustrated.

The defense mentioned previous testimony where Cummings described Oulson's tone as "authoritative." Cummings went on to describe Oulson as speaking louder than the previews.

After a few brief sidebars, the defense continued to ask Cummings about the statement he gave detectives following the shooting. The defense team questioned Cummings about mentioning that Reeves hit the back of his seat as he left the theater to complain and about who threw the bag of popcorn.

According to the defense, in his statement to detectives following the shooting, Cummings said he "didn't think that Mr. Oulson threw it (the popcorn) directly at Mr. Reeves." Cummings said he didn't recall saying that and said, "I just saw popcorn in the air."

Shortly after 10 a.m., prosecutors called Jane Roy as the second witness of the day. She was in the theater at the time with her husband and was sitting in the same row as Reeves and his wife.

Roy described seeing Reeves lean over and ask Oulson to put his phone away "almost immediately" after the preview that asks moviegoers to put their phones away. She said after that, Reeves walked quickly by her as he left the theater to complain. She said he was mumbling and seemed "upset or irate about something" as he left the row.

Prosecutors asked Roy if she saw any type of threatening behavior by anyone before Reeves left the theater. She said no.

During cross-examination, the defense questioned Roy about a disability that affects the left side of her face including her sight and hearing. The defense also questioned Roy about the previous testimony she gave in March 2015. Roy repeatedly said she didn't remember that testimony. The defense questioned how Roy described the theater as "pretty dark" at the time. On Tuesday, she testified that she remembered the lighting as being "muted," and said, "you could see the seats, you could see people were seated there."

Roy testified that the previews were playing loudly, but not as loud as a movie would be, and said it was light enough to see things going on, "so it was not completely dark." Roy said she was looking around the theater at the time, not watching the previews.

After returning from lunch, the state called Alan Hamilton to the stand when the trial resumed. Hamilton, a retired Sumter County deputy, was at the movie with his wife. He was off duty at the time. His wife Angela testified before the trial took a lunch break.

Hamilton said he was drawn to the altercation between Oulson and Reeves during the previews by his wife, who told him "you probably need to pay attention to this." He said he sat up straight, scooted forward and turned his whole body in the direction of Oulson and Reeves, which was to his right. He said he didn't take his eyes off that area.

Hamilton in his initial statement said Oulson was leaning over his seat, but now says he was just propping himself up, not leaning.

That change in his statement led to a heated cross-examination by Defense attorney, Richard Escobar.

"Is that what you call propped up? Or was he leaning, as your statement, leaning over the back of his seat?" said Escobar.

"He was not leaning over the back of his seat," said Hamilton.

"Not leaning even though that's what you put in your statement?" said Escobar.

"Yes sir," said Hamilton.

"You must have been lying then--" said Escobar.

"I object to that characterization," said a member of the prosecution.

ABC Action News legal analyst Jeffrey Swartz said it's a move that likely backfired with the jury.

"There's nothing wrong with showing a little confrontation when you are cross-examining someone, but not on every point that you're questioning them about. What happens is the jury starts to feel for the witness," he said.

Others called on by the prosecution included Eric Jones from the Pasco County Sheriff's Office and Amy Parish, a forensic investigator.

Jones talked about his response to the shooting and said Reeves was being detained when he arrived. Parish explained how she responded to the scene the day of the incident.

Amy Kubin, a former forensic investigator for Pasco County Sheriff's Office, and Deputy Steven Bunner with Patrol Operations were the last individuals to take the stand.

Swartz told ABC Action News that overall, the defense team's tactic to try and poke holes in witness testimony by using the age of the case or the darkness of the theater may not have been very impactful.

"How many shootings have you been at that you would forget what you saw when someone died? That's really what it comes down to," he said.

Testimony is expected to begin again Wednesday after 8:30 a.m.

https://www.abcactionnews.com/news/region-pasco/several-witnesses-take-stand-in-day-2-of-curtis-reeves-trial
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Offline Wonderfulspam

Re: Trial of Curtis Reeves, Florida Cinema Popcorn Shooting.
« Reply #11 on: February 16, 2022, 01:35:29 PM »

Curtis Reeves Murder Trial: Day 3

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iGOMPXykXyo
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Offline Angelo222

Re: Trial of Curtis Reeves, Florida Cinema Popcorn Shooting.
« Reply #12 on: February 16, 2022, 03:06:21 PM »
Cheers for the running commentary WS.  I don't know how this case will play out if I'm honest but Reeves will inevitably be found guilty of something after all the shenanigans are over.
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Offline Wonderfulspam

Re: Trial of Curtis Reeves, Florida Cinema Popcorn Shooting.
« Reply #13 on: February 16, 2022, 03:23:13 PM »
Cheers for the running commentary WS.  I don't know how this case will play out if I'm honest but Reeves will inevitably be found guilty of something after all the shenanigans are over.

Reeves is expected to testify & if the state get their shit together they should be able to destroy him regarding his initial account to the police, that he was pretty much holding Oulson back with his left hand & leaning right back in his chair when he shoots (he stated he didn't know how he didn't shoot his own hand) vs the video evidence of him having to lean forward & reach.

But, the prosecution have been pretty feeble so far & Reeves defence attorney quite good.
Reeves is a murderer imo but it only takes one gullible juror.
« Last Edit: February 16, 2022, 03:26:44 PM by Wonderfulspam »
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Offline Wonderfulspam

Re: Trial of Curtis Reeves, Florida Cinema Popcorn Shooting.
« Reply #14 on: February 17, 2022, 07:03:34 AM »

Curtis Reeves trial: Murder defendant’s interview with detective played in court

Day 3 of testimony in the Pasco movie theater shooting began Wednesday. Reeves, a retired Tampa police captain, faces life in prison in Chad Oulson’s death.

DADE CITY — On the third day of testimony in a trial that was to decide if he spends the rest of his life in prison, Curtis Reeves told a jury Wednesday that he feared for his safety before he fatally shot a young Land O’ Lakes father inside a Wesley Chapel movie theater.

All he did was ask the younger man sitting in front of him to put his cellphone away when the coming attractions began playing ahead of a matinee showing of Lone Survivor inside the Grove 16 theater on Jan. 13, 2014, Reeves said.

But the guy was irate, Reeves told detectives in a recorded interview taken later that day. He yelled at the retired Tampa police captain to “stay the hell out of my face” and that it was “none of your f--king business.” Then he jumped up and turned around, stood in his seat and leaned forward while his wife tried to hold him back.

Reeves was leaning all the way back in his seat, convinced the man was “going to kick my a--,” he told Pasco County detectives. The older man’s left arm was out in front for protection as he cried out either “no, no, no” or “whoa, whoa, whoa.” Then, he said, something hit his face with enough force to knock his glasses askew.

Reeves reached in his right front pocket, grabbed his handgun and fired. The bullet went straight through Nicole Oulson’s ring finger and into her husband Chad Oulson’s chest, piercing his rib, his heart and his lung.

“I mean, this happened so damn fast,” an audibly shaken Reeves told now-retired Pasco sheriff’s Detective Allen Proctor in the interview. “And I … good heaven, I didn’t mean to do that.”

That interview, played for a Dade City courtroom late Wednesday afternoon on the third day of testimony in Reeves’ second-degree murder trial, is now more than 8 years old. In the immediate aftermath of the shooting, Reeves sat in the front seat of the detective’s idling cruiser and told him all the reasons why he felt he had no choice but to shoot the 43-year-old Land O’ Lakes father in the crowded theater auditorium.

At 71, Reeves was no longer the “Superman” he was as a decorated Tampa police captain and SWAT team instructor. Now, even a small bruise on his arm takes at least two months to heal, he told Proctor. He has arthritis in both of his hands and knees. His back, like the rest of his body, “is a physical wreck.”

“I couldn’t take that guy — I couldn’t take anybody. Not anymore,” Reeves said. “I’ve got a problem with my right eye, and the guy hit me in the left side and I’m thinking, ‘Oh s--t, I don’t want to be blind. I don’t want to be any of those things as I get older.’”

But all that fear Reeves expressed toward Chad Oulson seemed limited to the first recorded interview played for a six-person jury after hours of testimony from forensic experts, the county’s medical examiner and law enforcement officers assigned to the case.

You still could hear the apparent fear in Reeves’ voice in his second interview, taken a few hours later that day. This time, though, that fear had turned on himself as he realized what he had done.

The investigators told him they had questioned everyone in the crowded theater and they said Oulson had simply flung a bag of popcorn into Reeves’ face. No one heard Oulson threaten him verbally. Nobody saw Oulson threaten him physically. Not even his wife, Vivian Reeves.

“I asked her point-blank, ‘Did you ever see a punch?’ and she said, ‘No sir,’” Proctor said.

“I never saw it, either,” Reeves told him.

“Did it happen?”

Reeves couldn’t say.

“I’m sitting back here second-guessing myself,” he told the detective. “I got hit in the left side of my face and temple, got my glasses knocked off. There was nobody else there, man. There was nobody else there.”

Eventually, an audibly shaken Proctor had to tell Reeves the bad news: Chad Oulson was dead, and his wife’s finger was nearly severed. The decorated police veteran was under arrest, accused of aggravated battery and second-degree murder.

“I don’t know what to say, except this is a life-changing event that I would have avoided at all costs,” Reeves said after taking in the news. “My life is ruined. My family’s life is ruined, his family’s life is ruined.”

Should Reeves be convicted of the second-degree murder charge, he could face life in prison. Yet even if he’s given the minimum, 25-year sentence allowed by state law for the charge, a conviction still could be tantamount to spending life behind bars for a man of his age — now 79.

Wednesday’s hearing came to an unusually early end when the audio recordings stopped around 5 p.m. and Judge Susan Barthle dismissed the somber-looking jury

Unlike the previous days, Reeves — who has spent years under house arrest — didn’t wait for his family and friends to leave the courtroom by his side.

Instead, he grabbed his cane, made a quick exit from his defense team and released a long, heavy sigh as he turned his head. Slowly, quietly, he then walked out the back door, alone.

https://www.tampabay.com/news/pasco/2022/02/16/curtis-reeves-trial-live-questions-about-possible-injury-to-reeves-eye/
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