Punishment American Justice

RADIO CHATTER

SIRENS BLARE

MUSIC: God's Gonna Cut You Down

# You can run on for a long time

# Run on for a long time

# You can run on for a long time... #

I believe in good and evil, I believe it exists in this world.

# Sooner or later gotta put you down

# Go and tell that long-tongued liar... #

I'm not going to lay down

and not let my vote mean something!

My ancestors died for me to have the right to vote.

-DONALD TRUMP:

-And we're going to have law and order.

CHEERING

We have to enforce the laws of the State of Florida

and our laws say we have to be tough.

I don't care what caused you to do it,

you can't run around stabbing people.

Some people do belong behind bars and I will not apologise

for putting them there.

# Great God Almighty is what he said

# Go tell that long-tongued liar

# Go and tell that midnight driver

# Tell the reveller, gambler

# The back biter

# Tell 'em that God's gonna cut them down

# You can throw your rock and hide your hand

# Work in the dark against your fellow man

# But as sure as God made the black and white

# What's done in the dark will be brought to the light. #

-RADIO:

-There's been at least one homicide

every day this month in our area.

18 people have been killed in just 13 days.

It's proven to be another bloody year.

Some calling the rise of murders in Jacksonville an epidemic.

The city of Jacksonville

has been called the murder capital of Florida,

which has led its people to demand a tough system of justice.

Delivered by the city's state attorney.

Red lip is always fabulous, too.

Especially for this kind of thing, you know?

-Thank you so much.

-Perfect.

-I'm so excited. So excited.

Angela Corey runs an office of 120 attorneys

who prosecute every crime in the city.

We have to honour our laws and our laws say we have to be tough

on violent criminals and repeat offenders.

There are people who don't want to live

within the bounds of our laws,

they've chosen to live a life of crime,

they've chosen to take a gun

and put it in another human being's face

and I will not apologise for being tough on those criminals

and getting them out of our society.

Angela's hardline approach has drawn national attention.

Podium stage left.

And now, she's facing a public vote to decide whether she keeps her job.

I am running for another term because I have the experience.

I will not apologise for being tough on the violent criminals

who are preying on this community.

Through being tough on them, we have sent more people to state

prison and put more people on death row than any other circuit

in the State of Florida.

Working with the good men and women of law enforcement

is what keeps this community safe.

People are numb to the number of murders that we have.

I mean, they become so commonplace here that people just brush them off

as, "Oh, it's another one."

Detective Bobby Bowers is called to the scene of a double homicide

in a trailer home.

All he and his team know is that one of the victims

is the owner of the trailer, a man named Bob Massey.

OK. He's over there.

-Go ahead and talk with the roommate.

-Yeah.

-Over here.

-All right?

-Cool.

-Thank you, sir.

All right, Dale, my name's Detective Dwayne Gray

-of Jackson Sheriff's office. OK?

-Yes, sir.

Were you the one to find him?

What happened, what did you do then?

Throat was cut?

Right.

From what I kind of gather, he goes and knocks on Bob's door.

-OK.

-Doesn't get any answer.

He opens up the door,

sees Bob on the ground, looks like his throat is cut

and that's where we stand.

The second body is thought to be Bob Massey's niece, Amy,

who was living in the trailer with her boyfriend.

Two people have been staying here with the primary deceased victim.

-One is believed to be his niece, Amy, and her boyfriend, TJ.

-Mm-hm.

They came down here from Pennsylvania.

We don't know that they've moved in here or if they were visiting.

-Amy and TJ are boyfriend and girlfriend?

-Yes.

I'm trying to figure out if TJ's floating around somewhere.

It sounds like he's not around.

And if he's been living here, better safe than sorry on a search warrant.

-Yes, absolutely.

-Since his girlfriend's deceased

-and he's not around.

-Right.

The son of the male deceased, he's standing by over here.

Is the... I'm assuming that's probably the older son

-of the deceased, which would have been David?

-David.

David. OK.

-Hi, I'm...

-Hi, sir. I'm David, I'm his son.

-Yes. I'm Dwayne Gray.

-Nice to meet you, Dwayne.

We were calling the family to get a picture of Amy, the girl.

-Yes, sir.

-We believe her boyfriend...

-OK.

-We got this picture.

It's not super recent, but that's him.

They said it's a bit of an older picture,

maybe a year, but that's him.

-For sure.

-You don't mind me taking a quick picture?

I definitely want you to e-mail it to him.

Yeah, I'm going to send it to his e-mail.

Let me just take a quick picture, if you don't mind.

Go ahead. Watch the glare.

Are you... So, you're...

I'm the oldest son of the man who owns the trailer.

Are you stepson or actual son?

-Actual son.

-Actual son, OK.

-Actual. I'm David Anthony Massey.

He is Robert Anthony Massey.

Just letting you know, if it is him,

you'll be considered the next of kin.

I'm going to try and use you as the primary person to talk with.

-That's fine.

-And again, thank you very much.

-Yeah.

-And I'm sorry if this is...

-Just find the guy, find him. You need to.

-OK.

Thank you.

You get a sense of what the family is looking for.

And, you know, in your heart, you'll agree or disagree.

But you try to get justice for those that have died.

But justice is just an ongoing battle.

The police do what we can do to catch the person

who did these things.

It goes on to the state attorneys to try to get the conviction.

A prosecutor from the State Attorney's Office,

Janeen Kirch, arrives on the scene.

We have at this point, Robert Massey.

He's got a superficial cut across his neck.

The lady is most likely going to be Amy Hatfield.

-That's his niece?

-Yes, that's his niece.

She came down about three weeks ago.

-Came down here with her boyfriend.

-OK.

-TJ.

She's laying pretty much face up.

-She has got a very similar cut to him on the neck.

-OK.

Two towels laying across her face and a shoestring's tied

around her neck also.

-All right, we've got some booties that you just need to put on.

-OK.

-And we'll go on in, OK?

-All right.

-OK.

Mind the step.

Homicide attorneys go out to the scene to check

out what it entails.

Because ultimately we're the ones who will be describing it to a jury.

So it helps if we can do that from our memories

of what we saw that evening, what we smelled that evening,

what the temperature was like, how we felt.

Janeen must decide what punishment the state will seek for this crime.

I think that I may have turned off a sense of emotion towards death

that most people have.

But I do it so that I can do my job.

For the worst offences, she can choose to seek the death penalty.

By now, I have enough experience and knowledge of the law to know

what's going to fall into that category.

But there's still somebody out there who has brutally murdered two

people and you have to let the detectives do their job.

They will not rest until they get this person.

In Florida, the state prosecutors are among the most powerful people

in the judicial system.

Not only deciding who is charged, but what punishment they could face.

Every prosecutor in Jacksonville works for Angela Corey,

whose uncompromising approach won her two-thirds of the vote

in the last election.

Since then, her office has sent more people to death row

than any other in Florida.

Good afternoon, I'm Angela Corey, proud to be your state attorney

and I come to you today to tell you that you should re-elect me

and I say that with the confidence

borne of 35.5 years of experience.

Working side-by-side with law enforcement to make sure justice

occurs in this community. Thank you very much.

My name is Melissa Nelson.

And I'm running for state attorney for the Fourth Judicial Circuit.

The reason I have decided to run for this office

is because I have a deep care...

But Angela Corey has a rival.

A former employee who believes her brand of tough justice

has gone too far.

This election is about restoring trust in the office

of the state attorney.

It's about electing a state attorney who will serve the interests

of the public she's elected to serve, over her own interests.

I believe we can do better and I believe I'm the right choice

to make that happen.

I left the State Attorney's Office almost seven years ago.

It was my belief that among my colleagues,

other lawyers, the State Attorney's Office had earned a reputation,

not just locally, but nationally,

for misusing the power of that office.

State Attorney Angela Corey, one of the most embattled

and controversial local office holders in recent memory...

Corey became a lightning rod for controversy in her second term,

taking heat over her office's handling of high-profile cases.

The New York Times described Corey as overzealous.

The client of the state attorney, of the prosecutor,

is the public, is the community.

For the justice system to work as it is intended to work

in America, people have to believe that the justice system is fair.

The prosecutor in America has incredible and vast power

and so that power has to be wielded very responsibly.

I've got the swabs, the blood swab from the bank

that matches Mr Wright's DNA.

Blood swab from the .22 rifle.

Prosecutors from Angela Corey's office are preparing evidence

for a case that will test the boundaries of her tough justice.

They're trying a man for murder,

even though he didn't kill anyone himself.

That is Mr Wright's DNA and the DNA swab from the rounds.

Prosecutors allege that early in the morning of May the 18th 2015,

two masked men entered a student apartment to commit a robbery.

Armed with a gun,

they allegedly woke one of the housemates, demanding money.

Another resident heard the struggle,

came in and shot the alleged intruders.

One of them was injured.

The other, killed.

Prosecutors chose not to charge the resident

who fired the fatal shots,

accepting his claim that he acted in self-defence.

Instead, the alleged intruder who survived is being held

responsible for the death and is charged with murder.

Bad things will happen when you do bad things.

When one or more people commit a violent crime and the person

who you are committing the crime with gets killed,

the blood ends up being on your hands.

There needs to be some accounting for committing a particular crime.

Society needs to be protected and punishment is appropriate.

The accused man is 26-year-old Trey Wright.

There is always that fear present that I'm going to get found guilty

and spend the rest of my life in prison, you know.

Is this what I'm going to have to look forward to

for the rest of my life?

The person who was shot and killed in the incident

was Trey's cousin and best friend, Bryant Collier.

I got shot about 10 or 12 times.

My cousin got shot four times and he didn't make it.

I don't know if it's something I will ever be able to get over

cos he was like a brother to me.

Trey denies the charges and is going to fight them at trial.

People don't understand.

"How can I be charged with murder

"if I wasn't the one that pulled the trigger?"

The laws in the state of Florida are very harsh.

People from other parts of the country are shocked

at what people in Florida are facing.

It's kind of all or nothing. There isn't a medium.

He's facing three life sentences.

And life is life. There's no parole any more in the state of Florida.

So he would go to prison and he would never get out.

He would die of old age in the prison.

Trey was shot over ten times

and Bryant was there.

And we knew that because of the law,

that Trey would be charged with Bryant's murder

and that was very difficult to swallow, to deal with.

Because we knew that he was going to be charged with a

loved one's murder. A murder of someone that he loves.

Trey and Bryant grew up together,

but during the trial

their families will sit on opposite sides of the court.

Even though I know he's not here,

but if I want to come to visit, this is where I have to come.

So it breaks my heart...

..every time I come, but I still feel like I have to.

They told me that my son died

in the process of committing a home invasion

and that the person that shot him, shot him in self-defence.

You know, this is crazy to me that you can shoot somebody

and it's OK.

You don't ask any questions.

You don't have to be accountable for that.

I just... I want someone to be responsible.

It's been 24 hours since the double murder of Bob Massey

and his niece, Amy Hatfield.

-Amy was strangled.

-Yes. A long black, nylon shoelace.

-OK.

And it was tight.

It was tight enough to abrade the neck.

And you can see an outline

-where he actually was starting to cut through the tissue.

-OK.

Detectives now have the postmortems on the bodies.

They think Amy was killed first.

So with Mr Massey, what do you have?

We got two upward thrusts.

It looked like a single-edged blade,

penetrated about an inch and a quarter into his neck.

He wouldn't have lost consciousness right away.

He was probably trying to make it into the bedroom,

maybe to call 911, and collapsed at that point.

Gotcha. OK.

They're tracking the mobile phone used by their main suspect,

Amy's boyfriend, TJ.

Now, the phone started to ping around eight o'clock this morning

and it's on its way up I75, towards Perry, Georgia, Atlanta,

-up in that area.

-Right.

Where we are is that this individual is from Pennsylvania.

He has fled.

We contacted Georgia State Patrol,

we updated them with, you know, our ping locations when we got them

and they were kind of one step behind him most of the day.

He has turned the phone off.

We need him picked up so we know where he is and we can talk to him.

All right, that will work. I appreciate it, Jim.

Unless the suspect uses the phone again,

detectives are relying on police in Georgia to find him.

If someone doesn't want to be found, and they're good at hiding,

it is hard at times to find them.

We've been working this case since yesterday and I think we've

been home with about four hours of sleep.

And it's now a day later.

And we work it until we have nothing else to follow through on.

A lot of these families, you know, like you would expect,

want the killer of their loved ones found right away.

And it's usually a long process.

Don't just grab random waters.

-This thing needs to come down.

-Come on.

-Don't give me that face.

-Yeah.

Who told you you can be in here?

The first day I come over here when you went to work,

I come over here at like six o'clock in the morning,

by myself, to clean up and there was blood everywhere. It was hard.

And then I freaked out trying to scrub blood up

off the floor, for some reason.

There was blood around the water bed.

And, obviously, they found Dad here.

We heard that from the roommate, we don't even know.

And then the blood soaked through the floor here.

Which is the other big bloodstain in the floor.

When we first came in here, you walk in and it was like he was just here.

He still has a beer out on the porch.

-Hamburger I made him.

-There's a hamburger in the refrigerator.

You know, like, it's just... It's odd, you know.

Cos you walk in and it's exactly like he was just out, you know.

Except there's blood everywhere.

I think it's really going to hit me after we're done

and we get everything finished.

I think that's when it's really going to hit me.

Because, like he said, your brain just kind of shuts it off.

I've always... Like, any time I've been upset,

I just kind of shove it down.

It's weird how we handle things differently

because it's not quite the same for me.

I let it hit me whenever it hits.

But like I said, it just comes in waves. So...

-Just want to get my hands on him. Just once.

-Yeah.

-SOBS:

-I should've been here, man.

-It wasn't your fault at all.

I shouldn't have left.

Come here, man.

It's OK, dude. It's not your fault.

-You didn't know anything...

-He's dead.

I should've been here, man.

I should've fucking been here.

No, man.

Kill that son of a bitch, man.

It's not your fault, man.

Hello?

Yeah, it's kind of hectic.

We're trying to get a murder warrant.

I need you to pack me a bag again.

Yeah, we're heading to Georgia.

Hoping to.

Are we going to be able to have access to him this evening?

The main suspect, TJ, has been picked up

at a drug rehab clinic 160 miles away.

Trying to get everything squared away right now.

We're on the phone with the state attorney right now.

All right, I appreciate it. Thank you.

All righty.

Everyone that we interview is different.

Some people will feel comfortable talking to me.

And once they feel comfortable, they're a little easier

to get information from.

Then, once you get them talking, you want to get to a point

where they can confide in you.

And that hopefully will eventually lead to an admission.

Everyone makes mistakes in life.

And that's what's part of being a human being.

We're all going to make mistakes. Some are more serious than others.

You never know what you're really going to get until you get there.

Some of them, you look at them and it kind of sends

the hair on the back of your neck up.

But the majority is like you and me.

Some of them are evil

and some of them just made a terrible mistake.

-How are you?

-Good, how are you?

-Nice to meet you.

-Joey Blackburn, nice to meet you.

Can you call Thomas Brown? Thank you.

-It's out.

-Yep.

-It's good.

-I've accessed him there.

-Yes, indeed. Yes.

Morning, TJ.

How you doing, man?

-This is my sergeant.

-How are you?

-These are my team-mates.

You good?

You want to smoke a cigarette first?

-I'll get one.

-I appreciate it.

-Mm-hm.

The investigation now hangs on what the suspect reveals

in his interview with Detective Bobby Bowers.

It's all the way you come across to them.

If you come in here being an asshole,

you're not going to get anywhere.

You know?

You have to learn to read people and kind of feel them out.

Even if they don't want to give you anything,

you're going to have to find a way to get it.

Bobby starts by questioning TJ about his relationship with Amy.

-I promise you.

-You never... OK.

Yeah, probably. Yeah.

OK.

He gave us the detail of what they did

from the time they left Pittsburgh.

He admits that he choked her to death.

And when she was still moving, at that point, he covered

her face with a towel and started cutting her throat.

-Why did he cover her face? Did he explain why?

-He didn't say.

In fact, in both cases, he used a towel to cover their face.

I don't think he wanted them looking at him

-because he had feelings for them.

-While they were dying?

While he's cutting their throat, he didn't want to see their reaction.

He got up, went into the bathroom, threw up.

And as he was going toward the kitchen, he saw Bobby standing there

and he admitted that he had killed her.

And then Bobby charged him,

they grappled and he said he stabbed him

because he didn't want him to suffer.

Cos he liked him.

So he wanted to kill him quicker.

TJ is taken back to Jacksonville to face prosecution.

I think right now TJ is probably terrified.

He asked me if Florida was a death penalty state.

And I told him it was.

And he asked if this was a death penalty case.

And I explained to him that that's not my decision to make.

It goes to the state attorney.

And even though we may argue it, the family might argue it,

and the families often argue it.

They want justice. You know, they want an eye for an eye.

But if the state decides that they don't want to go for the

death penalty, then it doesn't happen and that's the end of it.

And the family has to live with it.

The trial of Trey Wright starts today.

He is charged with the felony murder of his cousin, Bryant,

shot while they were allegedly committing a robbery.

The prosecution offered Trey a reduced sentence

if he pleaded guilty before trial.

But he refused, choosing instead to fight the charges in court.

It's always the client's decision.

And if they choose to go to trial, then we do our best.

We work hard for them.

I think I would plead rather than risk the trial.

Because a lot of times with the judges in this circuit,

if you lose at trial, you're going to get slammed,

you're going to get life.

Do you think you'd take a plea even if you knew you were innocent?

I think... I don't know.

I...

I would be scared to death to go to trial.

The trial is overseen by Judge Russell Healey.

If Trey's found guilty, he will decide the sentence.

I try and be fair in the sentences that I hand out.

Some of them are harsh.

I believe they are deserving.

You know, and I'm OK with people thinking I'm tough.

That doesn't bother me in the least.

It may be a hard pill for some people to swallow. I get that.

At the end of the day, I've got to go home and put my head

on a pillow and sleep, too.

The defendant is charged with three separate offences.

The first count is second-degree felony murder.

The second count is armed burglary. The third count is armed robbery.

As his parents, we feel like our hands are tied.

Because the first thing a parent wants to do is to come to

your child's defence.

You realise that you've got to face the system,

but you also got to trust the system to a degree, OK?

And we're hoping that, erm...

..that mercy will prevail.

The prosecution presents its case first.

It relies on the evidence

of three people who were in the residence that night.

Can you please introduce yourself to the jury?

My name is Abdul Rosenje.

-And, Mr Rosenje, do you have a nickname?

-Yes, I go by Mo.

First, the victim of the alleged robbery.

I want to draw your attention to the events of May 18th, 2015, OK?

Can you tell the jury how you woke up?

I was asleep in my bed, it was pretty early in the morning.

I woke up to two masked men with a gun, pretty large size,

an assault rifle or some type of military weapon, and I was being

nudged with the weapon. And that was how I woke up.

They were telling me to keep quiet, trying to keep me quiet.

The house was really quiet, it was early in the morning.

And he just kept saying, "Shh, shh!"

At that point, for a second he might have looked away

or something happened, but he was distracted.

In that millisecond, I instantly just reached,

lunged for the front of the gun.

We were wrestling back and forth over it.

And at that point, I had my hands on the gun like this,

we were wrestling over the gun.

He yanked it back. At that point, it went like this.

And that was when he shot me in the stomach.

Explain to the jury what you heard on the morning of May 18th, 2015.

The next witness is the man who killed Bryant,

whom the prosecution say was defending his home.

I was getting ready to go to summer school

when I started hearing scuffling in the room.

-And what did you do next?

-I crept around the corner.

When I was creeping round the corner, like,

that's when I seen three dudes scuffling.

-And I seen one of them in a chokehold.

-Mo?

-Yeah.

He was in a chokehold

and he was fighting with a guy with a rifle.

And then, when I see his face, that's when I ran in.

I rushed in, I just had a gun in my hand

and then I just reacted, just started shooting.

I seen Mo's face, so I just shot the two that I didn't know.

I heard gunshots, multiple ones.

And I kind of panicked, I ran back to my room.

And I called 911.

-RECORDING:

-911, 911. Please.

After I got off the phone, I seen the one guy on the floor.

He was in the doorway of the second bedroom and he didn't have

-any mask on any more.

-Was he standing or sitting?

Laying down on his back.

-Was he still alive?

-He was gasping for air.

I've no further questions,

I'll tender the witness for cross-examination.

Trey's defence is that he wasn't there to commit a robbery

and so can't be guilty of felony murder.

His team start by attacking the evidence

of the prosecution's witnesses.

-Good morning, Mr Rosenje.

-How are you doing today, ma'am?

-You woke up to two masked men in your room?

-Yes.

-And you had no idea who they were?

-No idea.

Mr Rosenje, isn't it true that you saw Bryant Collier

and Trey Wright at a barbecue the night before the shooting?

-Is that correct?

-Yes.

And isn't it true that Bryant Collier,

you've known him for a couple of years

and he was a friend of yours?

-He was actually a very good friend. Is that correct?

-Yeah.

-OK.

-And you're wrestling with Trey Wright.

-Yes.

-And you had been with him, hours before, at a barbecue?

-Yes.

-And you didn't recognise him?

-No, I did not.

But he was at the barbecue the night before?

-He was at the barbecue the night before.

-OK.

We're trying to show the jury

that the state witnesses, they're not credible.

If there is doubt about enough little things,

then the jury starts thinking, "Well, wait a minute,

"how can I trust this person on the big picture?"

The defence team also have questions about the gun used to kill Bryant.

So, during the altercation, you exit your room.

-Do you have a gun at that point?

-No.

-All right.

So, when you go into the other room with the three guys that

-are fighting, you end up with a gun at that point?

-Yes.

-OK.

Do you know what kind of gun that was?

The gun... I don't know what kind of gun it was that was used.

I just... It was just in my hand.

All right. But that gun that was in your hand

was the one that shot the individuals lying on the ground?

Yeah.

As a criminal defence attorney, you have cases where you start

stumbling upon the pieces that don't make sense.

There was a gun, it was used to kill someone.

It's never been located, the gun that's used to kill Bryant Collier.

You got shot once by the rifle and once by Bart?

Yes.

-And you don't know what happened to the gun that Bart had?

-No.

-And you don't know where Jabarta got his gun from?

-No, I do not know.

-The gun that Jabarta had was not your gun?

-It was not my gun.

You don't know where it came from and you don't know where it went?

-Don't know where it came from, I don't know where it went.

-OK.

No further questions.

All right, ladies and gentlemen, that'll do it.

Please again remember, do not discuss the case

among yourselves, don't let anybody discuss the case with you

or in your presence.

Tomorrow, the defence will call their only witness,

Trey Wright himself.

His testimony is critical.

There's a lot of good stuff to say about Trey Wright.

He does not have a record.

He's not a convicted felon,

he's got a college degree and if the jury believes him,

we're going to win. That is the bottom line.

But if he gets convicted of felony murder, he's, you know, looking...

He's going to get life.

I have been working all morning.

I can rebut everything that's in that report and I'm horrified

that people have not challenged the veracity of that report,

but I intend to challenge it.

With just weeks to the state attorney election,

Angela Corey is under fire.

A report has been published

criticising her overuse of the death penalty.

Now, if this isn't directly attributable

to me running for office, why did they feel the need to just single

us out in this report?

As opposed to comparing us to other counties in the state

where the laws are the same.

The death penalty is the law of the state of Florida

and I will not apologise for enforcing our laws,

including the death penalty.

Our Fourth Judicial Circuit needs a major overhaul,

so just because someone made a mistake in their life,

doesn't mean you have to kill them in return.

The death penalty in Duval County needs to be suspended immediately.

The negative press means Angela is slipping in the polls.

We cannot live another eight, ten, 12 years

under this vindictive woman.

I hope to see you, August 30th, at the election office.

The problem with being the elected official is when there's

misinformation about what you do and how you do it,

it causes people to want to take you down.

Angela Corey's campaign, it surprised me, again,

the lack of ownership.

Her refusal to be accountable. Miss Corey blames everybody.

The media is included in that.

One of the things that I am pledging is to be open with the media

and with the community and the people who I represent.

It is time for a change, so join your unions,

organise, register to vote and make your voices heard.

God bless you all.

Every single person that doesn't like one decision you make

on one case becomes very vocal.

I will never stop trying to convince them of how we operate

within the bounds of the law and the facts in our cases

but I also won't apologise to them for doing what we have to do

to protect this community.

Thomas TJ Brown is back in Jacksonville,

charged with the double murder of Bob Massey and Amy Hatfield.

Despite his confession, he's pleading not guilty,

so he's presumed innocent by the courts.

Detectives hand over the case file to prosecutor Janeen Kirch.

She decides what punishment the state will seek

if he's found guilty.

-We'll see you later.

-All right.

For first-degree murder she only has two options -

life without parole or the death penalty.

I think a lot of people have a mistaken belief about how

it is we come to the decision to seek the death penalty.

And it's not come to lightly.

I mean, we understand that we would be seeking

to take someone's life.

In order for us to even seek the death penalty,

we look at the Florida Statutes. We review all the facts.

We talk to the family members of the deceased individuals.

You know, we have to learn the background.

Is this person even eligible for the death penalty,

by their age, by their mental health?

So there are a lot of factors to consider when making a decision.

So the way the charging document is...

Here's the indictment, I can show you.

So the first count's for Amy and the second count is for your dad.

So it's two counts of murder in the first degree.

And in the state of Florida,

the only two possible penalties for murder

in the first degree is mandatory life in prison,

which is day for day, we don't have parole any more,

or the death penalty. That's where we're at right now.

Obviously, my goal is to seek justice for your family.

So my goal is for him not to walk.

I will make the best decision for the case

and for justice for your family.

But we do take great weight into what you all want.

Before making that decision, Janeen, is this case a possibility

to qualify for death penalty or is that not even an issue right now?

So the best that I can tell you right now

is that I'm still investigating the appropriate penalty.

I'd say, as far as the answer to which penalty,

when do you think we'll know more information?

Because we still don't know much.

I mean, we know he killed Amy, we know he killed Dad.

But did he kill Amy because...?

The way I see things, he could have killed Amy and just ran,

but he didn't.

So I want to know more.

-Sure.

-I mean, either way,

if he gets charged for the first-degree murder,

he's minimum spending life in prison, am I right?

If he is found guilty, correct.

And what is life in prison in Florida? 30 years?

-Life is life.

-It's life.

-There is no parole in Florida.

There is no good behaviour any more, or anything like that.

It's, erm...

And I appreciate you all telling me you're not quite sure yet,

and a lot of people come in here and they... They're so...

But they're so emotional about the loss of their family member,

which is understandable.

But I appreciate you all wanting to give it some thought

-and take your time.

-Kind of take it all in.

We're going to do everything we can, that's for sure.

All right, guys.

Well, thank you so much for coming in. I will walk you all out.

-Thanks.

-Let me put this in here.

Janeen must now decide if the crime fits one of the 16 conditions

needed to qualify for the death penalty in Florida.

I'm so sorry for your loss and if you need anything, give me a call.

Florida Statute 921.141.

Aggravating circumstances for when we can seek death.

"Capital felony was especially heinous, atrocious or cruel,

"B, the capital felony was a homicide.

"It was committed in cold, calculated or premeditated..."

This decision is discretionary, you know, period.

We're guided by the Statutes of what we should do,

but it is discretionary.

And it's not come to lightly. And it's a hard decision.

You know, even the prosecutors in this office have different views on

the death penalty.

It's hard, but that's why this system is so important.

We wanted to come out to the beach and light the lanterns with the

prayers on them because he would have really liked that.

THEY CHEER

My dad was an old man, he couldn't have put up much of a fight.

It was just pointless, senseless.

He is a coward and he deserves whatever he gets.

I guess I just never felt more powerless in my life.

Yeah, definitely powerless.

I can't do anything about it. I can't even get to him.

I want him to feel what my dad felt. I want him to feel scared.

I hope they give him the death penalty, honestly.

I don't know which one's worse,

spending the rest of your days locked in prison,

or the death penalty.

I don't know. I'm not sure.

It doesn't bring Dad back.

I knew that from the get-go.

Yeah, it gives Dad a little bit of justice,

but what is that, really, you know?

Janeen is called to court to give her decision.

When I was applying for this job,

you know I was a young, 24-year-old and I knew that

the question was going to come up.

"What are you... How do you feel about the death penalty?"

And so I talked about it with my dad and I said,

"You know, I'm not sure what I'm going to say."

And he goes, "What would you want to happen to

"the person who raped and murdered your little niece?"

And I was like, "I would want to seek the death penalty."

And he said, "Well, there's your answer."

But as the protectors of our community,

we don't want people making decisions

based on how they feel that day.

This is the law.

Good morning, Your Honour.

Janeen Kirch on behalf of the State of Florida.

If I may please call the case of Thomas Brown.

The State of Florida does give notice to the defendant in this case

that pursuant to Florida Statutes 921.141,

the state intends to seek the death penalty for the

two counts of first-degree murder charged in this case.

The state further gives notice to the defendant

of the aggravating factors the state will rely on.

The state requests that the defendant provide the

State of Florida with a statement of particulars,

listing the statutory and non-statutory...

'Citizens think that we have all this power and we are just harshly

'prosecuting these individuals.

'People say, "Oh, I don't think it works, it's not fair."'

But those individuals have a right to a jury of their peers,

and their peers are the ones out there saying that it's

a harsh, harsh system.

Those peers, they decide guilt. They get to vote.

That's the beauty of our system. They can make it fair.

All rise.

Good morning, everybody, and welcome back.

You can all have your seats.

It's the final day of Trey Wright's trial.

The defence will call Trey Wright to the stand.

Mr Wright, if you'll come on up?

He is the only witness for the defence.

And if you'll come right here before the clerk and raise your right hand.

To have any chance of acquittal,

he must convince the jury that he and his cousin Bryant

weren't at the house to commit a robbery.

It's all about the jury. They want to hear from the guy.

And I tell my clients it's their decision.

They don't have to testify.

But he'd rather roll the dice and take his chances.

You know, if he comes across as sincere and telling the truth,

if they like him and believe him,

they're going to walk him.

Mr Wright, did you know the decedent in this case, Bryant Collier?

Yes, I did.

What was your relationship with him?

He was my cousin, my best friend.

Now, did you and your cousin actually see Abdul Rosenje

-at a party or barbecue the night before?

-Yes, ma'am.

Did you and Bryant make plans

-to come and see Abdul later on that morning?

-Yes.

So he knew you were coming?

-Yes.

-When you walked into that apartment, what was your plan?

Erm, to smoke weed and possibly trade or sell a rifle.

-He wanted the rifle?

-Yes, ma'am.

He was going to give you cash or marijuana.

He was reluctant to give me cash for it,

-he preferred to give me marijuana for it.

-OK.

And as I'm checking out the weed,

I hear the bullet become loaded in the chamber.

And I turn around and I see him.

He's pointing it at us and he's like,

"Y'all dead now.

"It's... This is basically mine, this is mine."

And so I look at Bryant. And he's kind of confused.

I turn my attention back to Mo and I'm like... Just...

I take a step towards him and

that's when he hit me with the rifle.

And we started wrestling for the gun.

As I'm wrestling,

I hear the door behind me kind of just burst open

and I see a gun and then I just hear shots and I feel shots

and the first shot that I feel hits me on my shoulder.

And then I just remember falling and hearing more shots,

hearing more shots and then it went silent.

Mr Wright, did you shoot anyone?

No, ma'am.

-Did you intend for anyone to be shot?

-No, ma'am.

-Did you rob anyone?

-No, ma'am.

-Did you kill Bryant Collier?

-No, ma'am.

No further questions, Your Honour.

If Trey Wright, as he spoke with you,

if you believe that that is plausible, possible,

that that could have happened, that's reasonable doubt.

I submit to you that Trey Wright is not guilty of these charges.

Every life has value.

This is how Bryant Collier was left.

He ends up deceased because, during a violent crime, such as a robbery,

bad things happen.

He is guilty of burglary

and being armed while burglarising that residence

and he is guilty, by virtue of being one of the robbers,

of the death, the second-degree felony murder

of Bryant Collier.

Thank you.

Ladies and gentlemen,

I too want to thank you for your time and attention.

Your duty is to determine if the defendant has been

proven guilty or not, in accord with the law.

It is my job to determine a proper sentence

if the defendant is ultimately found guilty.

You do your very best.

You fight tooth and nail, every step of the way,

and then you just let it unfold.

If you've got somebody that you really believe is innocent,

it's very scary.

We charge felony murder

because somebody has to be held accountable when someone

dies a violent death.

Our ultimate goal is to do justice.

-Has the clerk published the verdicts?

-Yes, Your Honour.

In the circuit court of the Fourth Judicial Circuit

in and for Duval County, Florida, case number 16-2015-CF-0055-28A,

State of Florida versus Trey Edward Wright.

Count as to verdict one...

"We the jury find the defendant not guilty.

"So say we all."

Verdict as to count two -

"We the jury find the defendant not guilty. So say we all.

"Done at Jacksonville, Duval County, Florida,

"signed foreperson. Dated, 8.3.16."

It's always a risk going to trial

because one of the wonderful things about the system

is a jury get to hear the evidence.

They get to render their verdict.

I can't appeal it, I can't ask the judge to overturn it.

I can't even ask the jury to explain it.

So, it's a way that citizens still

have some control over the government,

before the government takes a person's liberty away.

The comfort that I can take in it, when things don't go the way

that I want them to go,

that still our system has worked in the way that it is supposed to work.

APPLAUSE

You know, I feel Trey had that opportunity to tell his story.

And it worked out in his favour. And I really am happy for him.

The state didn't care anything about really getting justice for Bryant.

It was really about putting Trey away.

We may never get answers

and, you know, we're going to have to...

..to find a way to move on.

Our law enforcement officers are the symbol of authority on the street

and they must be obeyed.

Three gunmen fired 50 rounds into a group of people last night.

He got hit in the neck and that's what all that blood is.

Stop! You're a xenophobe. You're a racist!

Build that wall! Build that wall!

The disconnect that exists between law enforcement and the community...

So let's keep it cool. Don't give me none of this.

..is the greatest problem

facing the American justice system right now.