Dontae Morris
Dontae Rashawn Morris (born August 24, 1985 ) is an American multiple murderer . He is believed to have shot dead five people in Tampa , Florida in May and June 2010 . He was sentenced to life imprisonment and three times to death until mid-2015 .
Series of murders
Between May 18 and June 8, 2010, Dontae Morris allegedly shot and killed 21-year-old Derek Anderson, 42-year-old Rodney Jones and 25-year-old Harold Wright. According to investigations, the acts took place in the drug environment . The crime scenes named were the Kenneth Court Apartments in Tampa, the Cotton Club Bar in West Tampa and the Palm River-Clair Mel in northwest Tampa.
On June 29, 2010, Morris shot dead two 31-year-old police officers Jeffrey Kocab and David Curtis while attempting to arrest them in East Tampa. Morris was in his girlfriend's vehicle as a passenger when they were pulled over by Curtis early that morning for missing license plates on 50th Street. With an arrest warrant for check fraud from Jacksonville against Morris , Curtis requested assistance, whereupon Jeffrey Kocab arrived. When they asked Morris to put his hands behind his back, he suddenly shot the two policemen in the head with a pistol and fled on foot.
Investigation and arrest
A witness alerted the security forces, who started the search for the perpetrator with a large contingent. The murders of the two officers were recorded on the dash cam of David Curtis's patrol car. This video helped security forces identify Dontae Morris as the perpetrator. His girlfriend could also be found who had fled by car and was hiding in an apartment. It was the day with the most casualties for the Tampa Police Department in over twelve years when, on May 19, 1998, Detectives Ricky Childers and Randy Bell were shot dead by criminal Hank Earl Carr .
In the days that followed, the manhunt for Morris grew into the largest crime hunt in Tampa city history. Over 1,000 officers and employees from 22 agencies were involved in the search, including FBI and ATF officers, SWAT teams, armored vehicles and dog squadrons, as well as helicopters with thermal imaging cameras. In addition, around 300 homes were searched, a media-supported manhunt was initiated and hundreds of wanted posters were put up in Florida and two other states. The reward for clues leading to an arrest has been increased to $ 101,000.
Authorities announced that Morris's criminal record was 14 pages and that he had been in prison twice. The offenses included disturbing the peace, car theft, drug possession, drug trafficking, violating the gun law, resisting arrest, bodily harm, violating probation, attempted robbery and dangerous physical harm, and he was also charged with attempted murder but acquitted. Police also announced at press conferences that Morris is suspected of two further murders of Tampa African American residents.
On July 2, Dontae Morris surrendered to a law firm in South Tampa and was placed in an isolation cell in Orient Road Jail.
Indictments and convictions
In July 2012, his trial began for the murder of Rodney Jones, who was shot dead in his vehicle on May 31, 2010 after leaving the Cotton Club bar on North Albany Avenue. Based on text messages and testimony, Morris was finally identified as the perpetrator and sentenced in March 2013 to life imprisonment with no parole and an additional 25 years for murder and attempted robbery.
His trial for the murder of two police officers Jeffrey Kocab and David Curtis began in November 2013. Since Morris was filmed by a camera from a Curtis patrol car during the murders and recorded by a microphone as his name and date of birth were given, it took the jury only four hours to find him guilty of two murders. After reviewing the verdict, Morris was sentenced to death by a Hillsborough County judge in May 2014 .
In June 2015, a judge announced that he would begin the trial of Morris for the murder of Derek Anderson on July 20. Anderson was shot dead in front of his apartment on May 18, 2010 after he had previously had an argument with Morris on a basketball court. A ballistics expert and a police spokeswoman also announced that the same weapon was used in the murder of Anderson as in the murder of the two police officers. In July 2015, after three days of deliberation, he was found guilty by a jury and sentenced to death again.
The authorities also announced in July 2010 that they would also charge Morris with the murder of Harold Wright, who was robbed next to his vehicle on 51st Street on June 8, 2010 and was shot in the head. At that time, Morris's fingerprints were found at the scene. An acquaintance of Morris told the authorities that Morris planned the robbery of Wright. In December 2015, however, the public prosecutor's office announced without further public explanation that it would not bring this final murder charge to court. Judge William Fuente then ordered Morris to be transferred to Florida State Prison's death row .
In April 2017, his appeal against the death penalty in the case of the two police officers was rejected by the Florida Supreme Court. In January 2018, however, the Florida Supreme Court overturned the death penalty in the Derek Anderson case on the grounds that the jury's guilty verdict at the time was not unanimous.
Personal
Dontae Morris was born to a 16-year-old who suffered from depression. His father was murdered when he was two years old and the crime was never solved. He grew up partly with his sick grandmother and changed schools several times. Two step-siblings were born from a new relationship with his mother. His stepbrother, Dwayne Callaway, was arrested in 2010 for drug possession, parole violation, and illicit gun possession. According to prison records, Dontae Morris is a member of the street gang " Bloods " and he has a son who was seven years old in 2013.
His aunt, Carolyn Riggins, worked for the Tampa Police Department and was fired in July 2010 for withholding important information that the authorities believed could have allowed Morris to be captured earlier.
His friend Cortnee Brantley, who drove the car he was sitting in on the night of the murder on June 29, 2010, was sentenced to one year imprisonment for fleeing and not saying that her friend was dangerous.
Web links
- Dash cam video reveals dying Tampa police officers' final moments
- Hunt for Dontae Morris ends in 'quiet' capture at South Tampa law firm
- Accused killer Dontae Morris has a lengthy criminal record
- Two Tampa police officers gunned down during early morning traffic stop
- Tampa police get mostly kudos in manhunt review
- Dontae Morris denied bail; investigators air possible motives in killings
- Dontae Morris sentenced to death for 2010 murders of Tampa officers
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Morris, Dontae |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Morris, Dontae Rashawn |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American multiple murderer |
| DATE OF BIRTH | August 24, 1985 |