TAMPA, Fla. — The parents of a man accused of running over a father and his two children said their son has been battling mental health issues for several years.
Mikese Morse, 30, faces several charges including premeditated murder for the death of Pedro Aguerreberry and for injuring his two sons on Sunday.
Monday morning Morse’s parents spoke with ABC Action News outside their home. Tampa Police Detectives say Morse purposely plowed into Aguerreberry, killing him and injuring his family. Morse's parents said he was not in a rational state.
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“My son was in a psychotic state. He did not intentionally do this. He had been released from a mental health facility where he himself had turned himself in because something was going on and that system failed him and put him back on the streets and now we’re dealing with the grief of two families,” Michael Morse said.
Michael Morse said his son was released from a treatment facility about four days ago. His parents said they begged for him to stay there longer. They said their son battled mental health issues starting around his late teens/early 20’s and that they have tried to get him help.
They said he had a promising future as a track star. He was a long jumper for the University of South Florida between 2006-2008.
According to a USF representative, Morse attended the university fall of 2006 through spring 2008. He left the university after that and ABC Action News learned he returned fall 2013 as a student through USF St. Pete. According to the university, he earned a degree in 2014 in Marketing.
“It’s a shame that somebody lost their life and it’s a shame that our child is now locked up and he will finally get the help that we tried to get him before,” Khadeeja Morse, Mikese’s mother, said.
Morse’s parents said they are thinking about the other family as well as dealing with their own grief.
“That family is grieving and our hearts are hurting for them and our family is hurting and grieving right now,” Michael Morse said.
