TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — A Florida appeals court is upholding a 2014 retrial conviction of a man who shot a Jacksonville teenager after an argument over loud music.
The 1st District Court of Appeal rejected an argument Thursday from lawyers representing Michael Dunn, that he was acting in self-defense when he killed Jordan Davis in November 2012.
Dunn's attorneys had argued that the state failed to present evidence that contradicted his self-defense claims.
Authorities said Dunn fired 10 times at the SUV Davis was riding in after the two argued over the loud rap music coming from the 17-year-old's vehicle. Dunn was sentenced to life in prison.
The three judges on the panel said that the state did present sufficient evidence that contradicted Dunn's account, including the testimony of a witness who said they did not see a gun in Davis's car.
“He was relying on the ambiguity and the high-profile nature of this trial to try to throw a Hail Mary in the end zone to see if it could be caught. Fortunately, the District Court of Appeals swatted it down," the Davis family attorney said.
Where Dunn is jailed has not been released.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Cox Media Group
