Michael Dunn, the man who opened fire on four teens at a gas station following a dispute over loud music, was found guilty of first-degree murder Wednesday in a Jacksonville, Florida, courthouse for the shooting death of 17-year-old Jordan Davis.
Sentencing has tentatively been set for Oct. 17 and Dunn could face a term of life in prison without the possibility of parole.
“We believe that we have to have as much justice as we can to assure that Michael Dunn will never ever walk out of a prison,” prosecutor Angela Corey told local media.
Dunn was found guilty in February for three counts of attempted second-degree murder, but there was a hung jury on the first-degree murder charge for Davis’ death. The jury deliberated for more than 30 hours before the mistrial was declared, but yesterday’s guilty verdict came after just five and a half hours.
“We are very grateful that justice has been served, justice not only for Jordan, but justice for Trayvon (Martin) and justice for all the nameless, faceless children and people that will never have a voice. And Ron and I are committed to giving our lives to walking out Jordan’s justice and Jordan’s legacy,” Davis’ mother, Lucy McBath, said after the verdict was read.
Hooray! Justice has been served. Lock up this racist asshole, and throw away the key.
ReplyDeleteGood. The guy should never draw a free breath again.
ReplyDeleteJeez, Kurt, do you have to agree with everything Dog Gone says?
DeleteBelieve me, Mikeb, I had to thoroughly reevaluate my position when I saw that it agreed with hers, but couldn't find a way to any other position.
DeleteIn the end, I had to chalk it up to the fact that even a blind squirrel occasionally finds an acorn.
"One thing that's clear now that the case has been concluded: The shooting of Jordan Davis is not, as widely claimed, an example of how Florida's "stand your ground" self-defense law lets people get away with murder. Not only was Dunn convicted, but the absence of a duty to retreat does not seem to have played a significant role in either trial."
ReplyDeletehttp://reason.com/blog/2014/10/03/despite-that-awful-stand-your-ground-law
Correct, this was definitely not a case of SYG. But one wonders if the extreme self defense laws in Florida and around the country encourage guys like this one to act badly.
DeleteAnd we wonder what might have happened if circumstances had been just slightly different. SYG might indeed have been his ticket to getting away with murder, as it has been in other cases.
Either self defense laws are written appropriately or they're not. Rather than argue the merits of SYG you're trying to imply that having it will encourage potential murderers to take that last step. The same argument could be made about allowing ANY amount of self defense.
DeleteYou should stick to arguing actual issues rather than wild speculation.
MikeB: "And we wonder what might have happened if circumstances had been just slightly different."
DeleteAh yes, like if the circumstances were that Jordan Davis was bashing Dunn's head into the concrete, we'd have to wonder if the law would allow him to get away with defending himself.
I'll bet there was a gun loon on the first jury that caused the deadlock.
ReplyDeleteI bet it was a liberal who was afraid he'd get the death penalty if convicted.
DeleteOr maybe it was a Nazi who thought he was purifying the race.
Or maybe it was someone who wanted him to get off just so that it would provide impetus for repealing SYG.
We can all pull random theories out of our asses. None are helpful.
Or maybe it was someone who thought Dunn did not pre-meditate the murder of Jordan Davis, but did it in the heat of the moment.
Delete(I must say I don’t know the specifics on this case and Florida law if Murder 1 and 2 were both options, or if not deciding between the two would lead to a hung jury)
I agree with the first Anonymous.
DeleteOf course you do. After all, his wild ass guess would help your side. Forget that it's totally unfounded and unhelpful.
DeleteAlso forget that everyone commenting here--including the pro gun people--wanted to see a conviction.
Forget that it's totally unfounded and unhelpful.
DeleteI don't think Mikeb needs to forget that, Anon, because I don't think "unfounded and unhelpful" bothers him in the least when engaging in agenda-driven wild ass guessing.
Of course all the gun loons here think it's just fine to kill someone because of loud music.
DeleteOf course all the gun loons here think it's just fine to kill someone because of loud music.
DeleteThen there are clearly none of these mythical "gun loons" here, since everyone here is openly in favor of Dunn spending the rest of his life in prison.
Anon @ 8:27PM
DeleteAre you trying to troll us, were you too lazy to read all our comments condemning him and praising the conviction, or are you just so truly mindbogglingly stupid that you read our comments and thought we were somehow opposed the conviction.
If 1: Shit, I fed it after midnight.
If 2: Read before commenting.
If 3: Wow! Everybody point and laugh at this guy--and respect his brave struggle to remember to keep breathing in, then breathing out.
The Anonymous who said all the gun loons here think it's fine made one of the stupidest comments we've ever had. Either he didn't read the comments or he's just trolling to stir shit up.
DeleteKurt pointed out the fallacy of that comment. I myself have often said that those who comment here are probably extremely responsible and safe with their guns. The problem is they do not represent gun owners at large, as I clearly outlined in The Famous 50%.
The problem is they do not represent gun owners at large . . .
DeleteI'm not trying to "represent" anyone but myself, and have no intention of allowing myself to be "represented" by anyone else. I'm an individual, an independent free agent, 100% responsible for my own actions, and 0% responsible for anyone else's.
That's funny. The gun loons here complaining about trolling comments, especially Kurt and LP.
DeleteThe gun loons here complaining about trolling comments, especially Kurt and LP.
DeleteI, of course, am not one of your mythical "gun loons," but what "complaining about trolling comments" do you think I've done? I can't find a single example in this discussion of "complaining" on my part, nor have I mentioned the word "troll" (or any variant of the word).
Also, who is "LP"?
"I'm not trying to "represent" anyone but myself, "
DeleteKurt, we're not impressed with your bloviating nonsense about being an individual. No one is talking about what you're trying to do - except you that is. We're talking about the millions of gun owners and how responsible and safe they are.
Not trying to "impress" anyone with my "bloviating nonsense."
DeleteMikeb, you said that we (the pro-rights commenters--a group I assumed includes me) "do not represent gun owners at large." My point is that it's not our job to "represent gun owners at large." Besides, if we don't represent them, then they clearly cannot represent us, either, meaning that any misbehavior on their part is on them, and not us.
Kurt, you're doing that tedious nit-picking literal thing again. You know what I mean by "not representative of," but by taking it literally you pretend not to. I know you don't represent them, literally, like speak them for or lead them. What I'm saying, as you fucking well know, is that the average Joe gun owner is not nearly as responsible and safety conscious as you and the other commenters are.
DeleteNow, are you happy, you dragged this discussion out into a long pain-in-the-ass instead of just honestly participating in the discussion. Bravo.
You know what I mean by "not representative of," but by taking it literally you pretend not to.
DeleteI keep telling you, Mikeb, I'm not a mind-reader, and unlike you, don't pretend to be.
If you'd say what you mean, we'd avoid this confusion. It's not my fault that you don't.
We have no way of knowing if the gun loons here have been involved in gun loneliness that has caused harm, or not. Given their statements I wouldn't rule it out. All it takes is the right kind of wrong thinking and that they have proven over and over again.
DeleteWe have no way of knowing if the gun loons here have been involved in gun loneliness . . .
DeleteUm . . . "gun loneliness," Anon? Dare I ask what the hell that is?
An idiot like you
Delete?
DeleteThanks for proving my point
DeleteBack to the point which you very adeptly diverted us away from, most gun owners are not safety conscious and responsible like you are. But you, and the other commenters, continually talk as if they are.
DeleteBack to the point which you very adeptly diverted us away from . . .
DeleteOh, so it is I who "diverted us away from" the point (for some strange, mysterious, but clearly nefarious reason of my own), and not the drooling idiot mumbling about "gun loneliness" (don't worry, Anon, my guns never get lonely--even when I'm away from home, I leave enough behind that they all keep each other company)?
. . . most gun owners are not safety conscious and responsible like you are.
Oh, so now it's "most gun owners" who are insufficiently careful? Has your ludicrous "50%" figure already "evolved" upward yet again? Will you now call for disarming 63.33333% of gun owners?
So much for "get away with murder laws" letting people off as long as they claim fear for their life.
ReplyDeleteThis should be a second degree murder conviction, but it’s good to see guys like this and Theodore Wafer (and Curtis Reeves to follow) blow apart your narrative for what SYG is by going to prison. As we can see, it’s not even helping them not get over-charged. Wafer should have been convicted of manslaughter, but got murder 2.
ReplyDeleteYou may be right, but first degree might be appropriate here, TS. Would need to look at the FL statute and case law. Premeditation can be formed quickly under some rules.
DeleteSince I didn't go into much detail this morning (hadn't had my coffee yet) I thought I'd give a tiny bit more info. What I meant about Premeditation is that as the law varies place to place, you might need to show some extensive planning before hand to show the malice aforethought, or it may be sufficient to convince the jury, beyond a reasonable doubt, that when he went to get his gun he had already formed an intent to kill Davis.
DeleteAs for your comment above, charging with a crime like Murder 1 includes lesser offenses, so they could have convicted of Murder 2 or manslaughter if they all agreed to it. It could be that the hold out wanted a lesser conviction and the others refused to agree, hoping for a mistrial and new trial with conviction like this, or that the holdout was not convinced and wanted a not-guilty verdict. However, I would be surprised if it was a disagreement on which level for the conviction--had the holdout demanded Murder 2, I think the others would have been worn down and gone with it.
"So much for "get away with murder laws" letting people off as long as they claim fear for their life."
ReplyDeleteNo one ever said the SYG defense works in every shooting. For every one of examples there are others in which murder and manslaughter were gotten away with.
That's your constant refrain every time someone gets off--after you call them a poster child and tell us, "Don't worry, they'll get off or plea bargain it down."
DeleteIt's getting old. Especially when you've been told, in advance, that SYG wouldn't work in this case--an assertion you fought against.
I don't think I ever said this guy would plea bargain it down and get off. But since, as TS rightly points out my memory is not that good, maybe you can point us to the comments in which I "fought against" your idea that SYG would not work in this case.
Delete"This should be a second degree murder conviction"
ReplyDeleteI agree.
The issue is not whether this turd got his; he did and he'll rot in jail, where many others are not going to be helpful to him.
ReplyDeleteThe issue is the climate created by the SYG laws. These laws, and the NRA freaks and losers who promote them, are a climate of paranoia, fear, and "lone-gunman" self-sufficiency. Instead of the climate of "let the cops solve the problem", morons like this guy have been convinced by the NRA and its loser advocates that they must solve the problems themselves. Thus, we have a dead kid. The dead kid is dead because of the NRA and its climate of paranoia.