Wilton Manors homicide case heads to jury

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A person accused of strangling and stabbing his on-again, off-again boyfriend to loss of life in 2019 deserves to be convicted of homicide and despatched to jail for all times, a prosecutor argued Thursday to a Broward jury.

The defendant, Michael Mitchell, 44, admits the details towards him don’t look good. A day earlier he was on the stand explaining that he killed John C. Younger throughout a violent dispute at Younger’s condo in Could 2019. Nevertheless it was Younger who was the aggressor, Mitchell testified.

It will likely be as much as the jury to find out whether or not Mitchell’s account is credible. Prosecutor Tonya Johnson urged jurors to contemplate different details that have been offered through the trial. The killer tried to set the condo on hearth. Mitchell claimed Younger did that, however Johnson argued that made no sense. She stated Younger set the hearth to cowl up the homicide.

Younger had been strangled and stabbed within the neck twice. Both wound would have been deadly, stated Johnson.

Wilton Manors Police had responded to Younger’s condo on Northwest twenty fifth Avenue simply earlier than 8 p.m. on Could 9, 2019. Inside, they discovered a laundry hamper with burning clothes. Fort Lauderdale Fireplace Rescue responded as nicely, and firefighters discovered Younger inside, useless and carrying nothing however a shirt and socks, with a minimize throughout his throat and two stab wounds in his again.

Surveillance video confirmed Mitchell leaving the condo concerning the time of the homicide carrying latex gloves with a towel over his head.

Mitchell additionally texted a good friend warning that Younger was useless and he was a suspect, solely to feign shock when police later advised him Younger was useless, Johnson argued.

“He needed to fake to be distraught on studying John was useless,” she stated.

There have been additionally textual content messages despatched from Younger’s cellphone to a neighbor after Younger was already useless, messages that pinned the homicide on an unnamed Black drug supplier. The message declared itself to be despatched on a timer: “For those who get it, then one thing occurred … For those who don’t get this messages (sic) I’m okay.”

That textual content, prosecutors stated, was despatched by the defendant after Younger was useless and obtained by the neighbor, who advised investigators and the jury that he didn’t consider it was written by Younger.

Protection lawyer Skyler Hill advised the jury that Mitchell was defending himself when he killed Younger and that each have been drug customers. Mitchell’s conduct after the killing was on account of his panic and his use of meth, she stated.

“We have now not hidden that from you,” she stated of her consumer’s drug use.

Odom ordered deliberations to start shortly earlier than 3 p.m.

Workers author Shira Moolten contributed to this report.

Rafael Olmeda might be reached at rolmeda@sunsentinel.com or 954-356-4557. Observe him on Threads.web/@rafael.olmeda.

It is a growing story, so examine again for updates. Click on right here to have breaking information alerts despatched on to your inbox.

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