TAMPA, Fla. — A Valrico man pleaded guilty to manslaughter with a weapon for a September 2010 deadly shooting.
Trevor Dooley, 80, pleaded guilty on Tuesday and will serve an additional three years of probation on top of the two years in prison he has already served.
On Sept. 26, 2010, Dooley shot and killed David James during an argument about a teenager on a skateboard at a Valrico basketball court.
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“David devoted his life to establishing justice and liberty for all by sacrificing his own liberties—only to have his life and liberty taken from him as he finally got a chance to pursue his own happiness and the happiness of his family,” James’ widow Kanina Eurez said tearfully in court, after sharing that James had only recently retired from military service before his deadly encounter with Dooley.
Dooley's three years of probation will be supervised by the Florida Department of Corrections. Dooley’s attorney has previously told the judge his client is ailing and facing numerous health issues. Dooley will be prohibited from ever owning a gun again.
In 2012, a jury convicted Dooley of manslaughter and he was sentenced to eight years in prison followed by 10 years of probation. Dooley appealed his conviction and served more than two years in prison before he was permitted to bond out of prison while his appeal was reviewed.
Ultimately, in 2019, an appeals court overturned his conviction and said Dooley’s Stand Your Ground defense at trial had merit and the jury should have been instructed to consider Dooley’s Stand Your Ground claims when determining whether he was guilty. Dooley had been set for a new trial in the coming weeks, however, Tuesday’s plea brings the case to an end.
