A man accused of killing a Winter Park caregiver had a meltdown in court Wednesday and accused prosecutors of being out of control, according to Channel 9 reporter Field Sutton, who was in court.
Jury members must decide whether Scott Nelson will face life in prison or the death penalty for kidnapping and killing Jennifer Fulford in 2017.
Nelson screamed in court that he wanted a mistrial, despite already being convicted of murder. He claimed the trial process was “bastardized.”
A former federal prison employee testified Wednesday. Tim Gravette was an associate warden while Nelson was in federal prison for attacking his father and stealing his car and money.
Gravette said he never supervised Nelson, but the defense asked Gravette to review Nelson's prison records.
Gravette testified that Nelson spent 95% of his 20-year federal sentence in special housing. He was frequently held in protective custody because he made many enemies in prison, or he was in trouble for breaking the rules, Gravette said.
ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — “Somebody’s in a box all day long, sometimes they let off a little steam,” Gravette said.
Sutton said the testimony and questioning did not arrive to a conclusion but prompted an outburst by Nelson.
Gravette: “I didn’t see where he made the Hispanics mad, but he had everybody else mad at him.” #WFTV
— Field Sutton (@EFieldSutton) July 3, 2019
"He's called me a racist. Mistrial. Now!" Nelson said.
After Nelson’s outburst, the judge sent him and his lawyers out of the courtroom and told the lawyers to calm him down.
About 20 minutes later, Nelson returned and apologized to the judge.
Judge White: “At this point you’ve had two outbursts. Are you confident that you can continue to follow the court’s orders and remain silent?”
— Field Sutton (@EFieldSutton) July 3, 2019
Nelson says yes.#WFTV
DOWNLOAD: Free WFTV News & Weather Apps
Not near a TV? Click here to watch WFTV newscasts live
Cox Media Group