Tampa Jury Finds Dontae Morris Guilty of Murder

On a recent Wednesday, a Tampa jury convicted Dontae Morris of first-degree murder.

The verdict, however, was not in connection with his infamous alleged killing of two Tampa police officers. That trial is still to come.

The Tampa jury deliberated for just under six hours before convicting Morris, 27, of the 2010 killing of Rodney Jones, then 42, at the Cotton Club in Tampa. Jurors also convicted Morris of attempted robbery. He faces a mandatory minimum sentence of life in prison.

Police said Morris shot Jones in the neck outside the Cotton Club as revenge for Jones previously robbing Morris.

Three more murder trials await Morris. He may be sentenced to death if found guilty of killing the police officers.

Those killings created such a stir that in order to find unbiased jurors for this trial who were unaware of Morris’s other charges, Judge William Fuente held jury selection in Orlando and sequestered jurors in a Tampa hotel during the trial.

After Judge Fuente released the jurors, he gave Jones’ family members an opportunity to address the court before sentencing, which will be scheduled soon.

Jones’ sister Daphne Fuentes asked Judge Fuente to sentence Morris to life in prison.

“If he spends eternity plus one day, that’s still not enough to fill the void he left in my family,” she said.

The killing of a family member is an enormous burden to bear. When another may be at fault for a death, an experienced wrongful death attorney can help you understand your rights and remedies.

Call Joyce & Reyes at 1.888.771.1529 or visit more of http://www.joyceandreyespa.com/.