Your daily look at news, upcoming events and the stories that will be talked about today.
JURY DELIBERATING IN 2ND TAYLOR SLAYING TRIAL
A South Florida jury has begun deliberations in the trial of a second man accused of taking part in a botched 2007 Miami-area burglary that ended with the fatal shooting of Washington Redskins star Sean Taylor. The 12-person jury on Tuesday began deciding whether to convict 25-year-old Jason Mitchell of first-degree felony murder and armed burglary. Trial testimony indicated that Mitchell hatched the plot for five Fort Myers-area to burglarize Taylor’s home near Miami after previously seeing large amounts of cash there.
DECEMBER COURT DATE SET FOR MARISSA ALEXANDER’S SECOND TRIAL
A Florida judge is postponing a decision on whether to hold an unprecedented second stand your ground hearing for a woman who received a lengthy prison sentence for firing a gun before the conviction was overturned. The Jacksonville judge on Tuesday set a hearing for August 1 on whether Marissa Alexander should be granted a second stand your ground self-defense hearing.
TEEN AVOIDS PRISON TIME FOR SCHOOL BUS SHOOTING
A South Florida teen accused of fatally shooting a girl on a school bus has avoided prison time. As part of a deal with Miami-Dade County prosecutors, 16-year-old Jordyn Howe pleaded guilty Tuesday to manslaughter with a deadly weapon, possession of a firearm by a minor and carrying a concealed weapon. He was adjudicated as a juvenile, though he had previously been charged as an adult.
GIRL INJURED BY SWING DIES
A Manatee County girl who was critically injured when a swing set fell on her has died. Lexi Antorino has lived in a semi-coma since the accident happened in 2007. She died Monday. The 8-year-old Palmetto girl was only 2 when the swing set came crashing down on her. The community has rallied around the family over the years. Her family had no health insurance.
PERSON HIT BY TRAIN IN TAMPA
Authorities say a person was seriously injured after being hit by a train in Tampa. Police say the victim was hit by a CSX train Monday night. Details about the victim weren’t immediately available. No other injuries were reported. CSX officials were investigating.
