TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) – Dontae Morris was sent to prison and sentenced to death following his conviction for killing Tampa Police Department officers David Curtis and Jeffrey Kocab in 2010.
The officers stopped a car driven by Morris’ girlfriend in East Tampa and he got out and shot both men in the head.
A jury found him guilty but now, he’s seeking a new trial claiming his defense team botched the case. His new attorneys also say his mental state at the time should have been more thoroughly vetted.
“Ms. Watson states that seldom, that Dontae had looked depressed and spooked. The last several times she had seen him, he had spoken about hearing other voices. He said the other voices were not from the other inmates,” the attorney said in court.
An expert was brought in to go over the examination of Morris’ mental health years ago.
“Well, I do recall a lot of investigation into mental mitigation, so forth,” said Christopher Boldt.
The big question now: What will it mean for the families of Officers Curtis and Kocab and the officers who served with them?
Judge Michelle Sisco will decide if Morris deserves another trial, but those families will share the burden of that decision.
The hearing could last all week.
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