BY IRIS B. HOLTON
Sentinel City Editor
Last Friday, Hillsborough County Circuit Court officials decided notorious murder suspect, Dontae Morris will be tried first for the robbery and murder of a man outside a Tampa nightclub. The club shooting is one of five murder cases filed against Morris.
According to police, during the early morning hours of May 31, 2010, Rodney G. Jones, 41, was shot and killed during an attempted robbery. He was leaving the Cotton Club, 2405 W. Albany Street, at the time of the shooting.
Jones, father of two, was shot several times. He was a professional trainer.
Police investigated the shooting as an attempted robbery that ended in murder. In January 2011, first-degree, attempted armed robbery, and being a felon in possession of a firearm charges were filed against 26-year-old Morris.
Morris was reportedly tied to the murder through text messages and witness statements. At the time the charges were filed, Morris was already in jail facing four other murder charges.
The jury selection for the Jones murder trial will begin on July 30, 2012. [private]
According to police, after Morris was released from prison in April 2010, he allegedly shot and killed 21-year-old Derek Anderson on May 18, 2010, at the Kenneth Court Apartment Complex.
Police said the murder occurred during an apparent attempted robbery. Morris was charged with first-degree murder and attempted robbery with a firearm.
On June 8, 2010, the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office investigated the shooting death of 25-year-old Harold Wright. Wright had been shot in the head. His body was discovered on the side of the road at 2003 51st Street, S., shortly after midnight.
Detectives with the Sheriff’s Office said their investigation revealed evidence that linked Morris to Wright’s murder.
The final two murder charges stem from a traffic stop involving two Tampa Police officers. The result proved to be deadly.
According to police, at 2:15 a.m., on Tuesday, June 29, 2010, Tampa Police Officers David Curtis and Jeffrey Kocab, both 31, were on routine patrol in East Tampa. Officer Curtis observed a 1994 Red Toyota Camry that didn’t have the license plate visible. He turned his lights on behind the vehicle at N. 50th Street and E. Dr. M. L. King, Jr., Blvd. Officer Kocab, also 31, was his backup unit.
The female driver, later identified as Ms. Cortnee Brantley, stopped the car at N. 50th Street and 23rd Avenue. Morris was the passenger, police said.
A computer check revealed that an active warrant existed for Morris and attempted to make an arrest. Morris allegedly shot both officers at close range, and fled on foot. Ms. Brantley fled in the vehicle, police said.
The shooting was captured on the dash cam of the police cruiser. Officer Kocab was pronounced dead shortly after arriving at Tampa General Hospital. Officer Curtis was placed on life support and pronounced dead at 8:30 a.m., that morning.
Morris surrendered on July 2, 2010, following an intensive, week long nationwide manhunt. He was also charged with attempting to escape while being transported in July 2010.
Police said ballistics tests revealed that the same gun was used to kill Derek Anderson and the two police officers. The ballistics tests were inconclusive in the Jones case.
A spokesman for the Hillsborough County State Attorney’s Office said the murders of Jones, Anderson, and Wright will not be pursued as death penalty cases.
However, they do plan to pursue the death penalty for the murders of the two officers. He stated that Florida law considers the murder of a law enforcement officer in the performance of duty as an aggravating factor. He also said violence in the past can also be considered as an aggravating factor.[/private]
