BY IRIS B. HOLTON
Sentinel City Editor
A federal judge sentenced a 25-year-old Tampa woman to serve time in federal prison. She was charged with misprision of a felony in a case where two police officers were killed.
On Monday, U. S. district Judge James Moody, Jr., sentenced Ms. Cortnee Brantley to one year and one day in prison.
Federal prosecutors had sought to get Ms. Brantley a 36-month prison sentence.
Attorney Grady Irvin, Jr., who was court-appointed to represent Ms. Brantley said her incarceration ranged up to 36 months in prison.
Judge Moody said he had to “balance the tragedy of what occurred, including Ms. Brantley’s failures, with the rights she had to remain silent.”
Ms. Brantley will not report to prison immediately. She qualifies for a minimum security housing facility and will be allowed to self-report upon designation. It is likely that both the government and Ms. Brantley will appeal, Attorney Irvin said.
Attorney Irvin argued that the 30-36 month sentencing calculation was flawed and the judge agreed.
In January, 2013, a jury convicted Ms. Brantley, 25, of misprision of a felony, a rarely used federal charge that means concealing a person from arrest.
On June 29, 2010, Ms. Brantley was driving when police conducted a traffic stop on her vehicle. She pulled to the side of the road at the intersection of N. 50th Street and E. 23rd Avenue.
Dontae Morris, 27, was identified as the passenger in her vehicle. Morris is alleged to have shot both Officer Jeffery Kocab and Officer David Curtis, both 31, at close range when they attempted to arrest him on a worthless check charge originated in Jacksonville.
Both officers died.
After the shooting, Ms. Brantley fled the scene in her vehicle and Morris fled on foot. However, prosecutors used cell phone records to prove she remained in contact with Morris after the shooting.
Her first trial ended in a hung jury. During a second trial, the jury found Ms. Brantley guilty of the charge. At the time of the jury verdict, Judge Moody questioned whether the prosecution had proven its case against Ms. Brantley.
In February, Judge Moody issued his 12-page written decision, and stated, “The Court concludes that, by the thinnest of legal threads, the jury’s verdict is supported by the evidence.”
Morris has been linked to the murders of five people, including the two police officers. He was convicted of killing Rodney Jones, 41, who was killed outside of the Cotton Club in West Tampa on May 31, 2010.
Morris was convicted of the crime and sentenced to life in prison.
Hillsborough County Judge William Fuente has set a tentative trial date of November 4th, for the murder trial of the police officers. It has not been determined if Judge Fuente will select an Orlando jury to hear the case.
The murders of the police officers were the last murders Morris is accused of committing. No trial dates have been set in the murders of Derek Anderson, who was killed on May 18, 2010, or Harold Wright, 25, who was killed on June 8th.
Morris is accused of killing both men as well.
