TAMPA, Fla. — A judge Friday morning sentenced a former Hillsborough County ice cream truck driver to spend the rest of his life in prison for killing two brothers more than 12 years ago.
Michael Keetley was found guilty of six counts, with each carrying a mandatory minimum of 25 years. Each sentence will run concurrently and there is no possibility of parol.
The double-murder trial of Michael Keetley first ended in a mistrial in 2020 after a jury was unable to reach a verdict. His retrial began in March and ended with a jury finding Keetley guilty of first-degree murder in the deaths of Sergio and Juan Guitron.
The case dates back to 2010 when investigators said Keetley was beaten up, shot and robbed while working from his ice cream truck and became obsessed with revenge. Keetley then shot six people, killing two of them, on Thanksgiving Day 2010 outside a Ruskin home, according to law enforcement.
In addition to the murders of the Guitron brothers, Keetley was found guilty of the attempted murders of Daniel Beltran, Gonzalo Guevara, Ramon Galan Jr. and Richard Cantu.
Keetley, who has spent more than 12 years in jail, has maintained his innocence.
Throughout the trial, the defense team argued Keetley was incapable of firing a gun due to injuries on his hand. Their star witness, Keetley's plastic surgeon, testified about the injuries.
The defense also criticized the handling of the investigation.
Keetley said he was assaulted and robbed on Jan. 23, 2010, off Old U.S. 41 while driving his truck. Two masked men reportedly shot him five times.
Police said he managed to drive down the road and flag down a woman who was one of his regular customers. It turned out he had been robbed of at least $12.
Witnesses, including Keetley's former work partner, testified throughout the trial that Keetley became obsessed with finding those responsible for harming him, and he wanted to seek revenge.
It was reported that Keetley was looking for a man with the street name “Creeper.” Police said around 2 a.m. on Thanksgiving morning, Nov. 25, 2010, Keetley pulled up to a house in the Ocean Mist neighborhood in Ruskin where he thought “Creeper” lived.
A surviving victim testified Keetley asked for someone named "Creeper" before he opened fire.