DADE CITY -- Not guilty. That's the verdict delivered by a Pasco County jury in the movie shooting murder trial.
Jurors deliberated for about four hours before returning not guilty verdicts on charges of second degree murder and aggravated battery. The murder charge was for the death of 43-year-old Chad Oulson and the aggravated battery charge was for the injury suffered by Oulson's widow Nicole when a bullet went through her hand.
Curtis Reeves was 71 when he shot and killed Oulson at a Wesley Chapel multiplex in January of 2014. The incident followed a confrontation over texting in a movie theater during previews, that culminated in Oulson throwing popcorn at him before he was shot. His lawyers had argued self-defense. Reeves showed no emotion during the verdict but embraced family members after the courtroom cleared.
Outside the courthouse, Escobar celebrated the win in his comments to reporters.
"All the talking heads from Court TV who indicated we were never going to win, all my colleagues in Hillsboorugh County, who likewise gave us no chance, here we are... Mr. Reeves is a free man."
The verdict has a message, Escobar says, and that is "you can't abuse the elderly. We believed all along that Mr. Reeves was attacked and defended himself."
Reeves had this reaction outside the courtroom. "It's great, it's a long eight years. I couldn't be more proud of my lawyers. They did a fantastic job bringing out the truth"
"It has been a trying time for my family, (a trying eight years) with all the restrictions."
He had this message to the Oulson family, who walked out of the courtroom defeated.
"It was a sad day for everybody on both sides, I never wanted it to happen. I feel as (touching) for them as I do for my own family," Reeves said.
Jury deliberation came after two weeks of testimony, and closing arguments Friday morning.
Speaking for the prosecution, Scott Rosenwasser said several witnesses in the theater confirmed that Curtis Reeves, then 71, shot and killed 43-year-old Chad Oulson over Oulson throwing popcorn at him. Oulson's wife Nicole was wounded.
"(Reeves) didn't fear anything. He wasn't vulnerable. He was the instigator. He started it... he ended it," Rosenwasser said.
Rosenwasser dismissed a series of defense arguments as shiny objects, including the quality of the investigation, claims of Reeves' vulnerability ... Rosenwasser describes Reeves' statements to police and prosecutors as self-serving. He stated that Reeves was "into the adrenalin" and being in control.
The prosecutor seemed to throw the Pasco Sheriff's Office under the bus by acknowledging the investigation fell short. That was a point that got a lot of attention in the defense's closing arguments, in which he accused Pasco detectives of not only bungling the case but destroying evidence.
Escobar said jurors need to take into account the special protections under state law for those over 65, and put themselves in Reeves' place, assuming that the law allows him self-defense based on his perception of a threat, whether or not it is actual.
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