19 thoughts on “Michael Drejka arrested, charged in slaying of Merkeis McGlockton

  1. I don’t see how “stand your ground” has anything to do with this. This appears to be a standard self-defense issue as it would play out in other states as to whether the killer’s belief on the need for self-defense was reasonable. What seems different is the sheriff’s office that investigated the case made some public statements that the defendant will want to present to the jury in one form or another.Report

    1. This seems about right. I also think jury trial would be the appropriate way to address whether or not a crime was committed and if so how serious of a crime.Report

      1. My bet would be there is a plea deal. He is looking at either zero or life, and the prosecutors probably have an incentive to cut a reasonable deal if there is a risk that the sheriff’s office botched the case.Report

        1. Me too. Not sure how its done in FL but ky guess is they offer something like manslaughter 10 years, with a recommendation of parole eligibility in 5. Dreka does time but still gets to have a life after this.Report

    2. @pd-shaw “Stand your ground” became involved because the sheriff originally claimed that was the reason prosecution couldn’t happen.

      Agree that it’s not relevant but as the reason the sheriff’s office was claiming it couldn’t go to trial, it became relevant to the conversation (if not the trial).Report

      1. I’ve not listened to all of what the Sheriff said, and sounds he should have said very little, but he only gets to decide whether the killer is arrested, which always requires probable cause. It sounds like the Sheriff had diarrhea of the mouth in commenting on the case, when all he needed to say was that they are still reviewing and collecting evidence, and/ or we are working with the prosecutor at this point.Report

        1. The fact that he didn’t shut up, when police are well known for their ability to shut up when they want to, tells me there was a point in talking too much.Report

    3. The funny thing (to me anyway) about Florida SYG contra self-defense laws is that since they explicitly require that a person must not have engaged in illegal activity while in a public space in advance of the use of lethal force, they effectively *weaken* a defendant’s claim to self-defense. Arguably, Drejka was harassing McGlockton’s wife, in which case his claim to justified ground standing per SYG law would be nullified. Same for Zimmerman who could have credibly been accused of stalking Martin. The non-SYG self-defense law contains no such restrictions, which is why Drejka will (most likely) rely solely on it.

      But IANAL, so….Report

  2. So in unrelated but still legal matters… the sidebar twitter indicates that Manafort’s defense has rested without calling a witness?

    a Post on Off the Cuff for unfounded speculation?

    p.s. full disclosure, I am not on twitter, but have not been banned either… unlike JB and Redstate.Report

  3. State legislators revised the law last year to put the onus on prosecutors to disprove a stand your ground claim instead of on defense attorneys to prove one.

    Any of those people in Las Vegas was capable of climbing up the outside of the hotel and invading his room.Report

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