JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- Michael Dunn was found guilty of first degree murder by a jury Wednesday after 4.5 hours of deliberations.
The verdict represented a huge victory for the State Attorneys' Office,which has devoted two years and prosecuted two high profile trials in an effort to convict Dunn in the death of Jordan Davis of Marietta. Dunn was accused of killing the 17-year-old in 2012 after a dispute over loud music.
The half-day deliberations were just a fraction of the 4-day, 30-hour marathon deliberations at the first Dunn trial in February.
The state argued Dunn's actions after the shooting – failing to call police, returning to his hotel with his fiancé for pizza and a cocktail – showed indifference to his crime and victim. "All of his actions are consistent with what?" Assistant State Attorney John Guy asked jurors. "With guilt."
Dunn's attorney Waffa Hanania argued that Dunn legitimately felt fear and acted upon that fear, within the legal scope of self-defense. She also accused the teenager's friends of lying to protect Davis' reputation, and to cover the fact "that Jordan Davis escalated this situation where he ended up dead."
Dunn testified Tuesday that he shot at the teens' SUV because he feared for his life. He claimed Davis hurled insults and threats of violence, and was stepping out of his vehicle with what Dunn believed was a gun when he grabbed his own handgun and began firing.
Dunn said the reason he didn't call police that night was because his fiancé wanted to go home, and he wanted to face a more familiar local police in Satellite Beach, rather than deal with Jacksonville law enforcement.
Another jury had failed to reach a unanimous verdict on the first-degree murder charge at Dunn's original murder trial in February.
That jury did convict Dunn of three counts of second-degree attempted murder and one count of shooting or throwing deadly missiles for firing at Davis' three teenage companions inside a red Dodge Durango. Dunn faces at least 60 years in prison. He has not yet been sentenced.
The 12-member jury for Dunn's retrial was comprised of seven white men, three white women, one black man and one black woman.
Circuit Judge Russell Healey decided to keep one alternate juror sequestered, at least for the day, in case a problem arose. Jurors began deliberations in the case Wednesday morning.
