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Trial of Curtis Reeves, Florida Cinema Popcorn Shooting.

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Venturi Swirl:
What a sick, broken country America is, so very sad.

Wonderfulspam:

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.

Wonderfulspam:

Curtis Reeves Murder Trial : Day 1

https://youtu.be/y8Lkt0Pe8MM


Curtis Reeves Murder Trial : Day 2

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rVoqz1IptP4

Wonderfulspam:

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.

Wonderfulspam:

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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