HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, Fla. — Michael Keetley’s murder trial is entering its third week of testimonies from witnesses and forensic experts.
The former ice cream truck vendor is standing trial on two charges of first-degree murder and four counts of attempted murder. Keetley is accused of seeking revenge on the people who he believed were responsible for robbing and shooting him on Jan. 23, 2010.
Ten months later, detectives say Keetley shot six people during the early morning hours on Thanksgiving Day, ending the lives of two brothers, Sergio and Juan Gultron. Four men survived multiple gunshot wounds.
Today’s testimonies largely focused on the standard operating procedures of how a witness identifies a suspect through a photo pack.
Det. Lugo, who works for Hillsborough County Sheriff Office, was the lead detective who showed up in Ruskin, Fl., where the fatal shooting took place.
When Lugo learned one of the survivors, Gonzalo Guevara, may have gotten a good look at the shooter, the detective said he waited until Guevara was well enough to go through a short stack of photographs.
Lugo held off showing Guevara photos for a few days because he was heavily sedated after going through surgery.
When the defense cross-examined, attorney Lyann Goudie argued that Lugo did not follow HSCO’s standard operating procedure. After a series of repetitive questions and clarification, it turns out that Lugo was supposed to have someone else, who is not involved in the case, do the photo lineup. Instead, he conducted the photo lineup himself, which is out of line for standard operating procedures.
Goudie also found that Lugo did not number the six photos correctly, which led the detective to write down the wrong photo number in the records.
The state plans to rest its case “no later than mid-morning,” Tues. Feb. 18, 2020.
The trial will resume tomorrow at 9 AM.
Related coverage:
- Michael Keetley murder trial day 7: Detective interview played in court
- Keetley murder trial day 6: Crime lab digital analyst takes stand
- Florida ice cream man’s handwriting put under the microscope
- Judge denies mistrial in case of Florida ice cream truck driver accused of murder
- Florida ice cream man’s murder trial continues with survivors’ emotional testimonies
- Florida ice cream man trial wraps up its first week of testimonies
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