A retired Tampa police captain who shot dead a 43-year-old father after confronting a man for sending text messages to a movie was acquitted of second-degree murder and aggravating battery charges on Friday night.
The jury refused to convict 79-year-old Curtis Reeves, who fatally shot Chad Ulson, 43, in 2014, during a dispute over a father sending messages to his nanny on his phone during previews of the film. Reeves sat idly by while the sentences were returned and hugged his lawyer after he was formally acquitted of all charges.
Disagreement escalated and Owlson threw his popcorn at Reeves, who shot him in the chest at Grove 16 in Wesley Chapel, a suburb of Tampa.
Following the jury’s decision on Friday, Reeves smiled and joked with the press as he stopped for interviews in front of the courthouse.
He also expressed regret over Ulson’s murder.
Curtis Reeves sat impassive until they were acquitted on Friday
Following the jury’s decision on Friday, Reeves smiled and joked with the press as he stopped for interviews in front of the courthouse. He regretted his death
Defense attorney Dino Martin (pictured here) told the jury that Reeves is a frail, elderly man who fears for his safety.
“It was a sad day for everyone on both sides,” he said. “It should never have happened.” I never wanted that to happen.
Nicole Owlson, the victim’s wife, who was also shot in the finger but survived, wept after the jury’s verdict.
Her stunned family slowly left Dade County Courthouse in the dark and hugged in the parking lot.
Chad Owlson, 43, and his daughter and wife Nicole were shot dead in a dispute over texting during movie screenings
IN THE PHOTO: Consequences of the shooting at the Grove 16 cinema, where Chad Owlson was shot and killed on January 13, 2014, after a dispute with the 71-year-old Reeves
– I do not understand. I don’t understand, “family members said as they cried and hugged in the parking lot in front of the courthouse.
Reeves, who said he feared Owlson would “beat him up,” said he was glad his eight-year ordeal was over.
“It was an experience, not only for me, but for my family,” he said. “It was a difficult time for all of us with the limitations and all the things that have happened over the years. It was very difficult to handle.
But Reeves has something to look forward to on Saturday.
“I’m going to my daughter’s wedding,” he said. “That’s the plan.”
Reeves told family members he was confident he would be acquitted of second-degree murder and assault.
Consequences: This photo, published by the prosecution, shows Curtis Reeves handcuffed in the movie theater where he shot Chad Owlson in 2014.
Retired Florida cop Curtis Reeves (pictured in court in 2014) began Monday
The retired captain from Florida was 71 at the time of the murder when he crossed paths with Ulson, who was meeting his wife at the theater.
Reeves told Owlson to put his phone away while the movie Lone Survivor begins, but he claims that Owlson pushed away and started screaming in his face.
“I don’t think I’ve ever had anyone punched me in the face like that and it scared the crap out of me,” he heard detectives say in a recorded interview from 2014.
Fearing what Owlson would do to him, Reeves withdrew his. A pistol 380 from his right front pocket and shot Nicole Owlson’s ring finger into her husband’s chest, piercing his ribs, heart and lungs.
“I thought the man was going to beat me to hell,” Reeves said. “I don’t think I’ve ever had anyone punched me in the face like that, and it scared the crap out of me.”
“I felt like my arm was blown out,” Nicole Owlson said of the bullet that struck her and her husband. “He took a few steps and then collapsed. I knew he was much worse than me.
Pictured: Chad Owlson and his daughter in an undated photo before he was shot and killed in a movie in 2014.
“It’s not about popcorn,” defense attorney Dino Michaels (pictured) told the jury. “You will see that there was an attack before the popcorn was thrown”
A witness, Sumter County Deputy Alan Hamilton, testified on Tuesday that he heard Owlson say to Reeves, “I just texted my fucking daughter.” He then threw popcorn at the retired cop just before the shot was fired.
But investigators told Reeves they questioned everyone in the theater and no one heard Ulson threaten Reeves, prompting him to begin guessing what happened tonight.
“I’m sitting here thinking,” he told the detective in an interview after the shooting. “I hit myself on the left side of my face and temple, my glasses were taken off. There was no one else there, man. There was no one else there.
During his interview in 2014, detectives told him the bad news. The man he shot was dead, and Reeves’ life was changed forever.
Vivian Reeves leaves court with husband Curtis Reeves at the end of Monday’s testimony
“I don’t know what to say, it’s also a life-changing event that I would have avoided at all costs,” Reeves said. “My life is ruined. My family’s life is ruined, his family’s life is ruined.
Reeves is a veteran of the U.S. Navy and a former Tampa police captain who helped launch and lead the agency’s first SWAT team before retiring in 1993, the Tampa Bay Times reported.
He later served as director of security at Tampa Busch Gardens and is an active member of Crime Stoppers in his neighborhood.
Nicole Owlson testified Monday about what it was like to watch her husband die.
“I see that his eyes were just glazed and I knew at that moment,” she said. I told him, “Chad, we need you, please hold on, we need you.”
According to Nicole Owlson, the two men quarreled over a cell phone dispute, and at one point her husband stood up, forcing her to place her left hand close to his chest to direct him back to her seat.
The shot was fired, she testified, nearly cutting off a finger.
“I felt like my arm was blown out,” said Nicole Owlson. He took a few steps and then collapsed. I knew he was much worse than me.
Nicole Owlson testified that she did not hear swearing from her husband during the exchange.
He said, “What’s your problem? The film has not started yet, “she said, quoting her husband.
Reeves went to the theater management to use Owlson’s phone, returned to his seat, and then the controversy resumed.
A video of the scene appears to show Owls snatching Reeves’ popcorn from his lap and throwing it at him. Reeves responded instantly with a fatal shot.
The lawsuit has been adjourned for years as Reeves sought protection under Florida’s “stand up” law, which allows the use of deadly force in the face of death or fear of serious injury.
This was further repulsed by the COVID pandemic.
Reeves has been under house arrest for most of that time, attached to a GPS tracking ankle monitor.
A judge ruled against him, but Reeves appealed. Lawmakers, meanwhile, have changed the law to shift the burden of proof to prosecutors, but the Florida Supreme Court has ruled that the changes do not affect cases like Reeves retroactively.
Prosecutors urged the jury not to accept Reeves’ allegation of self-defense.
“What the evidence will show you is that Chad Owlson was shot and killed for throwing popcorn,” Assistant Attorney General Scott Rosenwasser told jurors in an introductory statement. “That’s not a reason to kill another person.”
However, the defense claims that Reeves, then 71, was in poor health and feared that the 43-year-old, older Ulson would hit him or otherwise attack him – and may have thrown away his cell phone. on the older man.
“He was 71, in poor health and an award-winning officer. He had all this knowledge to determine if he was in a difficult situation that could lead to injury. At that moment, his perception was that he was in serious danger, “said defender Escobar.
TJ Grimaldi, who represented Owlson’s widow in a lawsuit against the film, said Reeves’ history as an officer, which included SWAT training, made his actions unforgivable.
“This man has trained SWAT teams, so he knows how to de-escalate the situation and he had to do it then,” Grimaldi told the Times.
“The claim that he is standing still is foolish to say the least,” he said. “Is there ever a good reason to shoot someone for throwing popcorn in their face?”
Reeves faces a potential life sentence if convicted of second-degree murder and assault with a deadly weapon.
But transcripts of reefs in prison between Reeves and his family, published in 2014, revealed that the retired Florida police captain was convinced of his acquittal.