FL - Chad Oulson, 43, killed in Wesley Chapel theater shooting, 13 Jan 2014 *Former LE arrest*

[BeckyF]

The claims that the victim was texting the babysitter to check on his child was obviously made to generate sympathy. If it was untrue, and the victim was on Facebook or a sports website, then the "texting the babysitter" was a lie. Question is, who lied and why? I think it has a great deal of relevance to the case.

Why would the defendant care what the victim was looking at on his phone? The defendant himself stated that he was angry about the victim texting. Are you saying if the victim had admitted he was looking at sports pages or FB on his phone, the defendant would not have shot him?

There is absolutely no correlation. CR was angry about CO using his phone in the theatre, per his own statement to LE. What exactly makes this lie relevant to the case against CR, based on his own statements?

MOO

 

[BeckyF]

i can get where CR's age should have meant that Chad just said sorry and turned off the phone rather than turn around and make a bigger deal out of it...I can assume Chad was loud and obviously used lots of language with CR...he could have moved.....big mistake on his part....but CR's age does not give him the right to shoot a guy dead with a big mouth and a phone.

Of course it doesn't.

 

[BeckyF]

Personally, I don’t think that’ll be given much, if any weight at all.

Oulsen could have been watching hardcore *advertiser censored* and it wouldn’t have justified someone shooting him dead.

The person that said they were text the babysitter is dead, so whether he lied to the defendant or not is neither here nor there, for me.

Ultimately, if you insert yourself into someone else business, you have to reasonably expect that they might respond in a way you didn’t anticipate/weren’t expecting.

He put himself in a situation that had a good chance of escalating, and it did.

You can’t just turn to your gun and shoot people when things don’t go your way.

If this guy doesn’t spend the rest of his life in jail, there’s something seriously wrong with the American Justice System.

100%

 

[JerseyGirl]

Curtis Reeves Trial: Defense team will begin calling witnesses after prosecution rested its case

 

[Sun]

Again, the defense attorney is not really questioning the witnesses, even in his side of this case. I'm guessing for whatever reason, the Judge is allowing leading questioning due to a prior ruling (I will go back and look to see if I can find that ruling). It sure gives me a bad feeling, again, not hearing the witnesses do their own answering to non-leading questioning.

 

[Trebor5591]

Why would the defendant care what the victim was looking at on his phone? The defendant himself stated that he was angry about the victim texting. Are you saying if the victim had admitted he was looking at sports pages or FB on his phone, the defendant would not have shot him?

There is absolutely no correlation. CR was angry about CO using his phone in the theatre, per his own statement to LE. What exactly makes this lie relevant to the case against CR, based on his own statements?

MOO

It isn't relevant in regards to the shooting. It is relevant regarding the honesty and trustworthiness of the victim's side of the story.

 

[alexwood]

Again, the defense attorney is not really questioning the witnesses, even in his side of this case. I'm guessing for whatever reason, the Judge is allowing leading questioning due to a prior ruling (I will go back and look to see if I can find that ruling). It sure gives me a bad feeling, again, not hearing the witnesses do their own answering to non-leading questioning.

I believe that they can be questioned in this way (leading questions) if they are deemed to be adverse or unfavorable witnesses (to the defense).

 

[BeckyF]

It isn't relevant in regards to the shooting. It is relevant regarding the honesty and trustworthiness of the victim's side of the story.

The trial is about the shooting of CO, not about what the victim was looking at on his phone. The victim is not on trial. CO is deceased and cannot testify about what he viewed on his phone. The ‘story’ is about whether CR was justified in shooting CO. Anyway, I’m moving on. Agree to disagree.

 

[alexwood]

Tedious testimony by Reeves' daughter, to establish that he was in a debilitated physical state at the time leading up to the shooting.

 

[ilovewings]

Tedious testimony by Reeves' daughter, to establish that he was in a debilitated physical state at the time leading up to the shooting.

I just looked in on the trial- first time since it began-- What I noticed most is the smirk on the Defendant's face- he looks smug to me JMO

 

[turaj]

I just looked in on the trial- first time since it began-- What I noticed most is the smirk on the Defendant's face- he looks smug to me JMO

I have to assume the jury is pretty close to him and has noted that smirk...also when daughter and son were on today he was all smiles and in fact joking during one of the many sidebars with attorney sitting to his left. It was notable and sad.

 

[turaj]

Today was a bad day for the defense in my opinion. I do think State attorney Martin is not effective and I cringe when he gets up. Assistant State Attorney Scott Rosenwasser was very effective in making the daughter a witness for the state. Hopefully if Reeves gets up it will be SR that crosses him.

 

[ilovewings]

I have to assume the jury is pretty close to him and has noted that smirk...also when daughter and son were on today he was all smiles and in fact joking during one of the many sidebars with attorney sitting to his left. It was notable and sad.

I believe a jury is very aware of the demeanor of a defendant and they take
That into consideration when they deliberate. My fee!ing is that this
Defendant 100 percent believes he will be acquitted.

 

[alexwood]

.

I believe a jury is very aware of the demeanor of a defendant and they take
That into consideration when they deliberate. My fee!ing is that this
Defendant 100 percent believes he will be acquitted.

At the time of the shooting, I absolutely believed that Reeves thought it would be no contest -- the question of his being charged with anything over the shooting was something he never thought would happen. To him, it was just a formality that he was even being questioned.

Now, I think he's afraid. In my opinion, he knows he will be found guilty.

 

[turaj]

commentators on Court TV are saying it is a big risk to put him on the stand but not much choice. They noted he seems incapable of remorse and would go out tomorrow and do the same thing. I tend to agree with them.

 

[fred&edna]

commentators on Court TV are saying it is a big risk to put him on the stand but not much choice. They noted he seems incapable of remorse and would go out tomorrow and do the same thing. I tend to agree with them.

It's always a big risk for a defendant to testify. And, it is possible that if Reeves was out tomorrow AND was in fear of someone, he just might shoot them in an effort to defend himself.

 

[ilovewings]

.


At the time of the shooting, I absolutely believed that Reeves thought it would be no contest -- the question of his being charged with anything over the shooting was something he never thought would happen. To him, it was just a formality that he was even being questioned.

Now, I think he's afraid. In my opinion, he knows he will be found guilty.

To me, he looked smug and confident -----I think he may be overconfident, and
If that is the case he will be easy pickins for the prosecution. I believe he has
No remorse for taking a life.

 

[SandyQLS]

commentators on Court TV are saying it is a big risk to put him on the stand but not much choice. They noted he seems incapable of remorse and would go out tomorrow and do the same thing. I tend to agree with them.

Has he not been out on bail for the last 8 years? TV commentators like to stir up drama IMO.

 

[Trebor5591]

.


At the time of the shooting, I absolutely believed that Reeves thought it would be no contest -- the question of his being charged with anything over the shooting was something he never thought would happen. To him, it was just a formality that he was even being questioned.

Now, I think he's afraid. In my opinion, he knows he will be found guilty.

Afraid? But another poster said he was smirking and looking smug!

But I think your opinion that he is afraid is correct. Were I him, I would be afraid, especially because a conviction will pretty much ensure he dies in prison. Not the way any family man, any career LEO, would want to end his life. <modsnip>

 

[fred&edna]

I wonder if there was additional theatre security footage that wasn't turned over to LE.