Michael Dunn was found guilty on three counts of second degree attempted murder on Saturday in the so-called “loud music” murder trial, as well as one charge of shooting into an occupied vehicle. But a deadlocked jury did not reach a verdict on one count of first degree murder, and a mistrial was declared on that charge.
Dunn was accused of shooting and killing 17-year-old Jordan Davis. Dunn had been charged after firing multiple rounds at an SUV in which Davis and three of his friends were passengers after a dispute over loud music coming from their vehicle in a parking lot in Jacksonville, Fla. in November 2012.
Dunn, a software engineer who has a concealed weapons permit and no prior convictions, was waiting in his car while his fiancée was buying snacks inside the gas station convenience store when he got into a verbal fight with Davis and his friends.
Dunn testified in his own defense, saying he started shooting because he felt threatened when he thought he saw the barrel of a gun emerge from the back window. Dunn fired 10 shots, hitting the vehicle 9 times.
State Attorney Angela Corey said shortly after the verdict was announced that her office intends to retry Dunn on the first degree murder charge.
“Our office, as always, is dedicated to seeking justice for our victims,” Corey told reporters.
Dunn’s attorney, Cory Strolla, said that while the verdict is disappointing, “I have no clue what could I have done differently.” He added the case came down to what the jury ultimately believed. Because of Florida’s “10-20-Life” mandatory minimum sentencing law for gun crimes, the 47-year-old Dunn faces 20 years for each of the three guilty counts of attempted murder. “It has been a long, long road,” said Davis’s mother, Lucia Kay McBath, shortly after the partial verdict was read. “We’re so very happy to have just a little bit of closure.” Sentencing for the four guilty charges will occur on March 24.
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