First Dontae Morris jury will come from Orlando, no decision yet on where trial will be held
Posted: 09/14/2012
TAMPA - The first murder trial of Dontae Morris, accused of killing two Tampa police officers, will be heard by a jury from Orlando. The case is unrelated to the officer killings.
Morris is accused of shooting Rodney Jones outside the Cotton Club in May 2010.
Judge William Fuente made the decision Friday to change the jury pool after an unsuccessful attempt to seat a panel from Hillsborough County due to intense publicity.
He has yet to decide whether the trial will take place in Orlando or Tampa. A decision is expected during a status hearing on October 1.
Morris is accused of killing police officers David Curtis and Jeffrey Kocab during a traffic stop in July 2010. A massive manhunt followed before Morris surrendered.
Jury selection in the Jones murder case is expected to take place on March 4. The trial is expected to last about two weeks.
Morris was in the courtroom for Friday's status hearing.
He stands accused of two other murders, bringing the total to five.
Copyright 2012 Scripps Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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