After jury convicts him, man punches his lawyer and a courtroom brawl breaks out
Courtroom deputies used Tasers on three men following guilty verdicts in a Florida murder trial on Friday and after one man began punching his defense lawyer and another defendant joined in, spurring a courtroom brawl.
Travis Jamaar Davis threw the first punch after he and his three co-defendants were found guilty of felony murder in an Ocala courtroom in the 2016 shooting death of Courtney Levar London, report the Ocala Star-Banner and Fox 35. Kelvon Grimmage joined in while a third defendant, Branden Banks, mostly stood by the wall. A fourth defendant, Kiila Richardson, was being led from the courtroom when the chaos began.
Tampa lawyer Daniel Hernandez spoke with Fox 35 about the scuffle.
“I got about five punches to the back and the side of my head, forehead. I got a few bumps and bruises, some scratches,” Hernandez said. “I’ve been trying cases for almost 40 years, and I’d never been struck by a defendant before.”
After being brought back into the courtroom for sentencing, Davis apologized.
Before the trial began, Hernandez had asked Judge Steven Rogers to allow Davis to be tried separately, the Star-Banner reports in a separate story. Rogers rejected the request.
London’s son, who was 5 years old at the time of the shooting, had testified that Davis was the triggerman. Rogers had also allowed jurors to see recorded interviews with the boy that took place the day after the murder, the Star-Banner previously reported.
