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October 17, 2014 3:45 pm - NewsBehavingBadly.com

Michael Dunn, the Florida man convicted of first-degree murder for fatally shooting a teenager in an argument over loud music was sentenced Friday to life in prison without parole.

As it happens, it’s not always OK to shoot an unarmed black teenager in Florida. First-degree murder is punishable by life in prison without parole in the state of Florida. Dunn received an another 90 years in prison for earlier convictions on three counts of attempted murder of the other teens who were in the vehicle with Jordan Davis when he was shot dead. The other passengers were not injured. .

 

[su_center_ad]Circuit Judge Russell Healey gave the 47-year-old a mandatory life sentence after prosecutors decided not to seek the death penalty.

“Mr. Dunn, your life is effectively over,” Healey said. “What is sad … is that this case exemplifies that our society seems to have lost its way.”

The Miami Herald reports:

Dunn was convicted of first-degree murder at a second trial in September after jurors deadlocked on the charge at his initial trial in February. Prosecutors say Dunn, who is white, fired 10 times into a sport utility vehicle carrying black teenagers in November 2012 and killed 17-year-old Jordan Davis of Marietta, Georgia.

Ron Davis, the father of Jordan Davis, wipes away tears after reading his victim’s impact statement to the court, during Michael Dunn’s sentencing hearing, Friday, Oct. 17, 2014, at the Duval County Courthouse in Jacksonville, Fla. Dunn, convicted of first-degree murder in a retrial in September for fatally shooting 17-year-old Jordan Davis in November 2012 in an argument over loud music outside a Florida convenience store, was sentenced to life in prison without parole.

Evidence showed that Dunn, of Satellite Beach, fired the shots during a heated argument over the volume of music coming from the SUV carrying Davis and three other teenagers. Dunn was convicted of three counts of second-degree murder in his first trial because he continued to fire into the Dodge Durango as the driver tried to flee. Healey on Friday sentenced him to a minimum of 60 years in prison for those charges, to be served consecutively with the life sentence.

After trying to claim self defense at the trial, at Friday’s sentencing hearing, Dunn apologized to Davis’ parents.

“I want the Davis family to know that I truly regret what happened. If I could roll back time and do things differently, I would,” he said. “I am mortified that I took a life whether it was a justified or not.”

The courtroom was filled with tearful supporters and family of Jordan Davis with many breaking out in sobs as his parents and other family members told Healey how devastating his death had been, according to the paper.

Davis’ mother, Lucia McBath explained that she always taught her son to love and to forgive.

“Therefore, I too must be willing to forgive and so I choose to forgive you Mr. Dunn for taking my son’s life,” McBath said in court to the accused.

Ronald Davis, Jordan’s father, spoke tearfully of holding his son when he was born, then kissing his body one last time at the hospital the night of his death.

“I gave him his first kiss when he came into this world and I could never have imagined giving him his last kiss,” Davis said. “Our family has lost the biggest and the brightest smile of all of us.”

Be prepared for the daily head counts Mr. Dunn, where your name will no longer apply but your prison number will be noted several times per day in order to keep you in your new home, which is a really Big House.  It’s a place to reflect and in Dunn’s case, he’ll have a lifetime to think of that night in which he repeatedly pulled the trigger at a vehicle filled with teenagers simply because of music. It’s also extremely noisy inside of prison, so that too, will be a problem that he’ll have to work out with his new roommates.That is, if he’s not kept from the prison population due to being a high profile prisoner. The upside is that that will give him even more time to reflect on the murder of Jordan Davis. [su_csky_ad]

D.B. Hirsch
D.B. Hirsch is a political activist, news junkie, and retired ad copy writer and spin doctor. He lives in Brooklyn, New York.

18 responses to Michael Dunn Sentenced To Life In Prison For the Murder Of Jordan Davis

  1. R.J. Carter October 17th, 2014 at 3:59 pm

    And that’s how it should happen.

    On an ironic note, it’s interesting that this story is abutted on the front page against another story that decried the whole dog-whistle purpose of getting a white man’s face next to a black “bogeyman’s” face — and here we have a white “bogeyman’s” face juxtaposed to a young black man’s face.

    • tracey marie October 17th, 2014 at 4:33 pm

      a killers face next to his victims…I fixed it for you

      • R.J. Carter October 17th, 2014 at 4:45 pm

        Yeah, that’s what was missing from the first article. The face of the victim next to the killer’s face.

        • tracey marie October 17th, 2014 at 4:49 pm

          nonsense, political versus fact.

        • tracey marie October 17th, 2014 at 5:05 pm

          funny how you always use strawmen or unrelated “stories” when posting…did the goptp teach you that trick?

          • R.J. Carter October 17th, 2014 at 5:22 pm

            The relation was the juxtaposition of the stories, and the message of one vs. the message of the other. You’re a smart girl, you know that. But defend away.

          • tracey marie October 17th, 2014 at 5:33 pm

            wrong again, one was a killer and his innocent victim, another was a disingenuous hyperbolic teabagger lie

          • R.J. Carter October 17th, 2014 at 5:42 pm

            You may very well be right Tracey.

  2. edmeyer_able October 17th, 2014 at 4:16 pm

    A young man is dead and the man who caused his death has been given a life sentence, not much to celebrate. Let it be a lesson to all before they over react to an innocent situation.

    • jasperjava October 17th, 2014 at 7:00 pm

      As a lifelong opponent of the death penalty, I’m satisfied with the sentence.

      I wish that this type of sentence was the norm for all cases of cold-blooded murder.

  3. tracey marie October 17th, 2014 at 4:33 pm

    ‘whether it is justified or not.” Justice has been served and this racist refuses to behave as a human even now.

  4. R J October 17th, 2014 at 4:56 pm

    And all across America in trailer park through out the land,right wingers are sad over the fact that one of their hero’s will be going to jail for the rest of his life. Funny how you do not hear the pro death penalty right wingers calling for the death penalty in this case,oh wait a right wing racist murdered a unarmed black male,so to all right wingers he is innocent

    • causeican October 17th, 2014 at 5:00 pm

      They also thinks it’s great he’s going to appeal his convictions. Not as much when it’s a darker flavor.

  5. Rusty Shackleford October 17th, 2014 at 5:01 pm

    “I am mortified that I took a life whether it was a justified or not.”

    Not mortified enough to second-guess or hesitate before opening fire. Not mortified enough to stick around and wait for the cops to arrive. You had to hurry on home and order yourself a pizza, after all.

    • whatthe46 October 17th, 2014 at 5:13 pm

      he’s mortified he didn’t get the gz treatment.

    • jasperjava October 17th, 2014 at 6:57 pm

      In his mind, his actions were potentially “justified”. What an insult to say this to the young man’s family.

      I wonder if he would think it was “justified” if it was a car full of white teenagers. Not bloody likely.

  6. StoneyCurtisll October 17th, 2014 at 7:51 pm

    I was happy with the original 60 year sentence he got..
    This is just topping on the cake..:)

  7. crc3 October 17th, 2014 at 10:30 pm

    Dunn is done….