Concluding a weeklong sentencing trial, a Volusia County jury voted 8-4 today to recommend the death penalty for Julio Rivera, the 52-year-old former fugitive who shot and killed his friend at a DeBary self-storage facility on Dec. 8, 2019. The death penalty recommendation is one Florida’s first under a new standard that does not require a jury’s unanimity.
Circuit & County Court
The Brendan Depa I Have Come To Know
Brendan Depa, the former Matanzas High School special education student who pleaded guilty to the beating of Joan Naydich, his paraprofessional, last February, will be sentenced on Jan. 31. Gene Lopes is a retired special education teacher who has spent the last several months tutoring Depa at the Flagler County jail. Here’s his experience.
Prosecution Considers Man Who Fondled Girl at Walmart Too Dangerous To Be Let Out on Bond
The prosecution argued before a judge today that Robert Goldstein, the 64-year-old Palm Coast resident who briefly fondled an 11-year-old girl at Walmart while her mother was not looking, is too dangerous to be let out of jail on bond pending trial. But a decision is not expected until Jan. 17, giving Goldstein time to bail out.
Judge Rules Migrant Held Responsible for Death of Deputy After Arrest Is Incompetent to Stand Trial
Circuit Judge R. Lee Smith ruled that Vergilio Aguilar Mendez, the 18-year-old migrant held responsible for the death of a St. Johns County deputy of a cardiac episode several minutes after Mendez was arrested, is incompetent to proceed to trial and is to receive “competency restoration” while held at the Volusia County Branch Jail. The order suspends further criminal proceedings, but may be abrogated over the next 60 days should the treatment restore competency to the court’s satisfaction.
From Abortion to Disney, Guns, Pot, Trans and Social Media Law: 10 Florida Court Cases to Watch in 2024
High-profile Florida cases in state and federal courts in 2024 include a challenge to the 15-week abortion ban, Disney’s claim that the DeSantis administration illegally retaliated against it, a challenge to the state’s age-restriction on buying long guns, whether the wording of a constitutional amendment legalizing recreational pot can head for the ballot, and several more.
Judge Mulls Trial Competency of Migrant Facing Manslaughter Charge in Sudden Death of Deputy After Arrest
Declaring it a “complex situation,” Circuit Court Judge R. Lee Smith at the end of a three-hour hearing today said he needed time to think before issuing a decision on whether Vergilio Aguilar Mendez, the 18-year-old migrant controversially charged with manslaughter in the death of a St. Johns County deputy Michael Kunovich last May, is competent to stand trial. Kunovich died several minutes after Mendez was arrested for resisting arrest after a stop-and-frisk encounter in St. Augustine.
Florida Court Rules Child Is Mature Enough to Be a Mother, But Not to Have an Abortion
A state appeals court Friday upheld a Calhoun County circuit judge’s ruling that blocked a minor from having an abortion without notification and consent of a parent or guardian. The decision’s implicit reasoning is that the child is nevertheless mature enough to carry the baby to term.
Jury Finds 47-Year-Old Palm Coast Man Guilty of Cyber-Stalking and Soliciting Girl, 14, for 18 Months
A jury found 47-year-old Jerome Byron Malerba guilty of cyber-stalking, soliciting a child for sex, and using a cell phone to criminal ends. He had been involved in what he termed a “mentoring friendship” with a girl when she was 14 and 15. He faces a maximum of 15 years in prison and will be designated a sex offender when he is sentenced early next year.
St. Johns County Judge Casey Woolsey Could Face Reprimand Over Inappropriate Fundraising
St. Johns County Judge Casey Woolsey “admitted that her conduct was inappropriate” and violated judicial canons, according to a document filed Monday at the Florida Supreme Court by an investigative panel of the state Judicial Qualifications Commission.
Facing Lawsuit from Ormond Beach, Flagler Defends Acquiring ‘Easement of Necessity’ That Crosses Volusia Border
Flagler County Attorney Al Hadeed explained why in his view Ormond Beach’s lawsuit against the county over an easement through conservation land in Hunter’s Ridge is off-base: Ormond Beach could itself settle the matter by acquiring conservation land on its side of the border, by setting aside unreasonable fears that Flagler will build a highway–and by upgrading Durrance Lane, the road that runs across the Hunter’s Ridge development.
Jury Sides with Physician and AdventHealth in Wrongful Death Lawsuit Involving 38-Year-Old Palm Coast Man
Ending a seven-day civil trial, a six-person jury on Tuesday found that Dr. Kizhake Kurian, a cardiologist who practices in Palm Coast with AdventHealth Medical Group, was not negligent in the death of Richard Starr, a 38-year-old Palm Coast resident who had been in relative good health until a series of heart-related medical episodes in the last days of March 2018.
Brennan Hill Sentencing Delayed as Defense Discovers He Does Not Necessarily Face Mandatory Life in Prison
Brenan Hill, the 34-year-old man a jury found guilty of murder in the shooting death of Savannah La-Rynn Gonzalez, 22, in March 2021 in Palm Coast, came to court today thinking, as did his own lawyer, that he was to be sentence to life in prison. In fact, he is eligible for 25 years to life, opening an opportunity for his lawyer to argue for the lesser sentence. The judge reset the sentencing hearing to next February to give Gerald Bettman, the lawyer, time to prepare.
Gabriella Alo Sentenced to 6 Years in Prison, Her Brother to 2 in Attacks in Flagler Beach
Gabriella Alo, the 19-year-old Palm Coast woman at the center of a pair of seemingly sadistic assaults in Flagler Beach last January was sentenced to 6 years in prison. Alo’s brother, Nicholas, 22, was sentenced to two years in prison, with credit for nearly a year he’s served, followed by three years on probation.
Willie Gardner Is Spared More Jail Time After All in Dog Abuse Case, But Is Barred from Contact With Animals
Willie Gardner was released from jail in late morning today, a few hours after a sentencing hearing before Circuit Judge Terence Perkins, who withheld a further jail sentence after all on animal abuse charges Gardner faced. Gardner had served 30 days since his arrest on a probation violation. Perkins earlier this month had wanted 90 days.
Ex-Bunnell Church Leader and Pastor Alfonso Joseph Sentenced to 5 Years in Prison for Sex with Minor
Alphonso Joseph, the 50-year-old Palm Coast resident and former pastor at several Bunnell churches, was sentenced this afternoon to five years in prison followed by 10 years on sex-offender probation after pleading guilty to having sex with an underage boy.
In Rare Rebuke, Judge Rejects Plea Agreement and Asks for Jail Time in Dog Abuse Case
Willie Gardner, 30, was ready to plead to four felony counts of cruelty to animals involving negligence toward pitbulls, but Circuit Judge Terence Perkins rejected the plea negotiated between the defense and the prosecution, asking for jail time.
Flagler’s Top Prosecutor’s Advice to New Cops: Be Truthful, No Tattoos, and Don’t Be ‘a D*ckhead’
Five new recruits for the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office and Flagler Beach police got a blunt, unfiltered briefing on how to testify in court from Assistant State Attorney Jason Lewis. It was a rare look, witnessed by FlaglerLive, at the dynamic between prosecutors and cops on the usually confidential fringes of court cases, and at how prosecutors prepare, guide and at times admonish police before they take the witness stand, since a cop’s testimony can make or break a case.
C.J. Nelson Jr., 22, Charged with Manslaughter in the Shooting Death of 18-Month-Old Girl at R-Section House
C.J. Nelson Jr., the 22-year-old Palm Coast man arrested on an unrelated charge the night of the shooting death of an 18-month-old girl at at 2 Ranwood Lane in September, was charged with manslaughter with a firearm for that death on Wednesday. The first degree felony charge is punishable by up to 30 years in prison.
In Settlement, Flagler County Will Pay Captain’s BBQ $800,000 and Allow New, 5,000 Sq. Ft. Restaurant at Bing’s Landing
Four years after Captain’s BBQ sued Flagler County government in a breach of contract claim, a negotiated settlement calls for the county to pay Captain’s $800,000, and clear the way for a new, 5,000 square foot restaurant at the county park. For Flagler County taxpayers, the dispute with Captain’s, just entering its fifth year, will have cost close to $1 million, when the county’s attorneys’ fees are included. The settlement is a huge victory for Captain’s.
Ormond Beach Sues Flagler County Over Easement, and Threatens to Cut Off Water to Hunter’s Ridge
The City of Ormond Beach is suing Flagler County government and a developer in the Hunter’s Ridge subdivision at the south end of the county, claiming that Flagler and the developer entered into an illegal agreement ceding an easement to the county that crosses a conservation area belonging to the city. Flagler County’s denials aside, Ormond Beach fears–and is convinced–that the county will one day use the 60-foot-wide easement to build a paved road.
Public-Notice Misstep Delays County Commission’s Decision on Captain’s BBQ Settlement to Nov. 20
The Flagler County Commission held a two-hour closed-door session this afternoon to discuss a potential settlement in Captain’s BBQ’s four-year-old lawsuit against the county. What was to be a special meeting following the closed session was postponed because it was not properly noticed. So commissioners could not reach consensus, make motions or take a vote.
Judge Orders 85-Year-Old Man Accused in Woodlands Murder to Be Evaluated for Competence
Circuity Judge Terence Perkins today ordered a neuropsychological evaluation of Charles Kidd Jr., the 85-year-old former resident of Blare Drive in Palm Coast’s Woodlands accused of murdering 36-year-old Mark Ruschmeier in August.
Staunch Opposition Kills Paul Renner’s Calculated Proposal to Consolidate Judicial Circuits
Amid overwhelming opposition to consolidation, a committee appointed by the Florida Supreme Court on Friday unanimously recommended against shrinking the number of judicial circuits in the state as Rep. Paul Renner had proposed. Critics labeled consolidation a gerrymandering effort aimed at weakening Democrats’ power in the court system.
State Attorney Files Two Felony Charges Against Kerri Huckabee in Flagler Beach Dispute With Neighbors
The State Attorney’s Office on Monday filed four charges against Kerri Huckabee, the Flagler Beach resident and Montessori school owner arrested in September in the culmination of a long-running feud with her next-door neighbors. The charges include a second degree felony count of firing or throwing a deadly missile into a building, and a third degree felony count of resisting arrest with violence.
It’s Not a Good Idea to Spit at the Court Ahead of Your Sentencing. Dacotah Clarke Now Faces Up to 17.5 Years.
Dacotah Wren Clark, 27, left a plea hearing and a pending prison sentence of 2.5 years by slamming the courtroom door and spitting in the elevator. He was then re-arrested days later on a dozen new charges. After a dressing down by Circuit Judge Terence Perkins, Clarke now faces up to 17.5 years in prison, without penalties for the spitting and door-slamming.
Captain’s BBQ and Flagler County Reach Tentative Settlement in Lawsuit Entering 5th Year
Captain’s BBQ and its landlord, Flagler County government, have reached a “tentative settlement” in Captain’s breach-of-contract lawsuit against the county, now entering its fifth year. The settlement was reached at an Oct. 27 mediation. But it’s not over. The County Commission must approve it, and will discuss it in a closed-door session next week. A previous proposed settlement, in 2020, failed.
Brendan Depa Tenders Open Plea in Beating of Matanzas High Staffer, Leaving Sentence Up to Judge
Brendan Depa, the 18-year-old special education student facing up to 30 years in prison for the merciless beating of a Matanzas High School teacher aide last February, pleaded to the first-degree felony charge today before Circuit Judge Terence Perkins. He will be sentenced in January.
Da’mari Barnes, 17, Pleads Out in Shooting Death of Jamey Bennett, 19; Uncertain Sentence Pending
Da’Mari Barnes, now 17, pleaded guilty today to manslaughter in the shooting death of Jamey Bennett, 19, at a bonfire near Matanzas High School in 2022. The open plea means that when Barnes is sentenced on Jan. 2, the judge will have wide discretion to sentence Barnes either as an adult, with guidelines setting the minimum at 11.5 years in prison and a maximum at 30, or as a youthful offender, to up to six years in prison.
Ex-Employee of Palm Coast Assisted Living Who Defrauded Residents Is Sentenced to Jail and House Arrest
Tina Marie Teixeira, 27, an ex-employee of Market Street, the assisted living facility on Palm Coast Parkway, was sentenced to a year in jail instead of the recommended three and a half years in prison, followed by two years of house arrest and three years on probation on convictions for defrauding several residents or their spouses at the facility last year.
Flagler County Tried to Evict a Tenant at the Airport. Jury Called It Retaliation and a Violation of 1st Amendment.
Flagler County Airport Director Roy Sieger sent Les Abend an eviction notice regarding the hangar Abend had leased for over four years. A two-day trial resulted in a verdict against the county, with a jury finding that the county was retaliating against Abend, a former member of the county’s airport advisory board, for his criticism of Sieger. An eviction case turned into a rare First Amendment case in County Court. Abend will get to keep the hangar.
8 Years in Prison for Connor Anderson, Who ‘Terrorized’ Smiles Bar Patrons in Shooting
Connor Anderson, the 31-year-old man who wrestled with the Smiles Nite Club bartender and others and fired his gun six times inside the bar last November, was sentenced to eight years in prison, followed by five years on probation, after a sentencing hearing where Anderson described himself as disgusted with his act.
Ex-Matanzas Student Brendan Depa Will Plead Out in Teacher-Assault Case, Leaving His Fate to a Judge
Brendan Depa, the former Matanzas High School student who drew global attention and a first-degree felony charge as an adult after a video of his assault on a paraprofessional circulated, will plead out, avoiding a trial. But he will also be taking the risk of a steep sentence.
Monserrate Teron Is Sentenced to Life in Prison for Raping His Niece as Child’s Mother Describes a Family Wrecked
Monserrate Teron, the former Army nurse a jury last July found guilty of raping his 7-year-old niece, was sentenced this morning to two life terms, plus 30 years on an additional charge. Teron turns 60 in two weeks. The victim’s mother described to the court the day-to-day of her daughters’ harrowing lives since, accusing a large part of Teron’s family as “enablers.” That side of the family again today insisted that Teron is innocent.
Judge Orders One Final Mediation in Hopes of Averting Trial in Captain’s BBQ Suit Against County
The Flagler County Commission met behind closed doors for the first time in over three years this morning to discuss a possible settlement of the four-year-old lawsuit by Captain’s BBQ at Bings Landing. The judge in the case ordered the two sides again to go to mediation to avoid a January trial. Mediation and an attempted settlement that made significant concessions to Captain’s in 2020 failed as commissioners rejected the proposal.
State Attorney’s Jason Lewis, Near-Invincible Prosecutor, Wins 7th Judicial Circuit’s Lifetime Achievement Award
Assistant State Attorney Jason Lewis, a ferocious, annihilating prosecutor who’s as genial outside the courtroom as he is fearsome inside it, since 2014 has managed the Flagler outpost of the State Attorney’s Office and oversees its homicide attorneys in the four-county Seventh Judicial Circuit.
Here Are the 3 Lawsuits Against the District the School Board Will Discuss Behind Closed Doors Tuesday
When the Flagler County School Board meets behind closed doors early Tuesday afternoon, a meeting that may at least in part be in violation of state law, it will discuss three pending lawsuits against the district, and potential settlements in two of them, including an employment discrimination lawsuit scheduled for trial in federal court in December.
Michael Bowling, Serving 20 Years for Molestation of Teen at Sleepover, Fails in Move to Lighten Sentence
A jury found Michael Bowling, formerly of the Mondex, guilty in 2017. Representing himself, he argued in court today on three grounds that he received ineffective counsel. But there was little doubt about the outcome of the two-hour hearing: the judge denied the motion.
Against Family’s Wishes, Chad Cordoma, 21, Is Sentenced to Prison for Texting His Little Brother a Threat
Chad Cordoma, 21, of Palm Coast, who’s had numerous mental health issues, was sentenced to 13.5 months in prison and 18 months on probation for texting his younger brother a death threat and the picture of a gun he was carrying. His parents called 911 thinking they were getting him help. He was arrested, charged with two felonies, and sentenced today, despite the family’s plea against a prison sentence.
Contrasting with Depa Case, Judge Dismisses Charge Against Autistic Female Who’d Assaulted Teacher at Matanzas
A felony assault charge against Reba Johnson, now 20, an autistic student who had attacked her teacher at Matanzas High School, was dropped today after she was continuously found incompetent to stand trial,. It’s a sharp contrast with the ongoing charge against Brendan Depa, who faces a more severe felony charge after he attacked a paraprofessional last February, though Depa’s and Johnson’s profiles parallel each other in many, but not all, respects.
Taylor Manjarres, 20, Sentenced to 12 Years in Prison for Her Role in Shooting Death of Zaire Roberts
Circuit Judge Terence Perkins sentenced Taylor Renee Manjarres, 20, to 12 years in prison for her role in the armed home invasion that resulted in the shooting death of 23-year-old Zaire Roberts at an R-Section house in Palm Coast in December 2021. Her co-conspirator, Kwentel Moultrie, got 35 years in addition to 10 years for a separate charge.
Court Rules Unanimous Jury Not Necessary in Death Penalty Re-Sentencing of 2 in ‘X-Box Murders’
Troy Victorino and Jerone Hunter were convicted in the murders of six people in a Deltona home in a case that drew national attention. The case became known as the “Xbox murders” because it involved a dispute about some of Victorino’s belongings, including an Xbox video-game system. A panel of the 5th District Court of Appeal ruled a unanimous jury is not necessary in the two men’s death-penalty re-sentencing.
‘Savannah Asked Me To Never Be Silent.’ A Survivor of Brenan Hill’s Violence Speaks.
Brenan Hill was convicted on Friday for the murder of Savannah Gonzalez, 22. Shanell Torchia was a previous victim of Hill’s violence, and the mother of his child: he was a fugitive from justice, and the charges she had filed, when he shot Gonzalez. Torchia speaks out about her experience, her friendship with Savannah, and the dangerous leeway granted abusers.
Hillsborough County Judge Nancy Jacobs Accused of ‘inappropriate and Disparaging’ Remarks
The panel of the Florida Judicial Qualifications Commission filed what is known as a “notice of formal charges” against Judge Nancy Jacobs, who unseated then-Circuit Judge Jared Smith in the 2022 election.
Jury Finds Brenan Hill Guilty In Murder of Savannah Gonzalez, and Faces 25 Years to Life in Prison
A jury of four women and two men found Brenan Hill guilty of second degree murder and two other charges in the shooting death of Savannah Gonzalez, 22, after deliberating two hours and 45 minutes today. He faces life in prison when Circuit Judge Terence Perkins, who presided over the five-day trial, sentences him at a later date.
Brenan Hill Takes Stand in His Defense, Weeping, then Seething that Shooting Savannah Gonzalez Was an ‘Accident’
It was not an exactly calm man the jury saw when Brenan Hill took the stand this afternoon in his own defense. Not the sort of man who helped himself much in his trial on a second-degree murder charge that could send him to prison for life if he is convicted: when the prosecution cross-examined him, he was angry, exasperated and at times barely responsive.
Kwentel Moultrie Pleads to Murder, Will Serve 45 Years in Prison on Series of Convictions
Kwentel Moultrie, the 24-year-old former Palm Coast resident convicted last year of raping a 16-year-old girl, this morning pleaded guilty to a second degree murder charge and was sentenced to 35 years in prison. He will serve that sentence consecutively to the 10-year sentence for the rape charge.
Almost a Good Day for Brenan Hill in Murder Trial: Jury Does Not Hear Him Speak. Then the Hammer Falls.
In the third day of trial for Brenan Hill, 34, who faces a second-degree murder charge in the shooting death of Savannah Gonzalez, 22, the prosecution built its case through forensic evidence and almost a dozen witnesses today, including testimony from a firearm expert who appeared to all but demolish the defense’s claim that Hill could fire the gun accidentally, as he claims.
Jury Hears Brenan Hill in a Confederacy of Lies About Shooting that Led to Girlfriend’s Death
Brenan Hill lied at least six times times about what led to him shooting Savannah La-Rynn Gonzalez in the head on March 26, 2021, including a lie to his mother. The 22-year-old Palm Coast woman never recovered. She died last Nov. 9. The jury heard most of those lies today in Hill’s second day of trial on a second-degree murder charge that could send him to prison for life if he’s convicted.
Jury Selection in Brenan Hill’s Trial on Murder Charge Keys In on Guns, Violence and Intent
Brennan Hill, 32 at the time, shot Savannah Gonzalez in March 2021 near the Microtel in Palm Coast. Hill’s attorney, made his intentions clear in his remarkably brief interactions with potential jurors at the end of a day of jury selection Monday: the shooting was accidental. It had nothing to do with domestic violence. It was a homicide, but not a murder.
Obviously, the prosecution disagrees, though it did not tip its hand today as Bettman did.
Law Enforcement, Court and Incident Round-Up: Sept. 1-8
Running a stop sign leads to an arrest on two felonies, a bored inmate triggers a fire sprinkler, four are arrested for illegally picking palmetto berries, a child drowns in Seminole Woods, Brendan Depa’s pre-trial is postponed.