Anthawn Ragan found guilty of 2013 North Miami motel killing, faces possible death penalty
A jury has found Anthawn Ragan guilty of premeditated first-degree murder in the 2013 killing of Luis Perez at a North Miami motel.
The verdict was reached Thursday afternoon after deliberations that included a three-hour delay for jurors to review testimony from Ragan's alleged accomplice, Terry Nealy.
Ragan, who pleaded not guilty, now faces the possibility of the death penalty.
The case was handed to the jury at 11:15 a.m. Thursday after Circuit Court Judge Marisa Tinkler-Mendez instructed jurors on their options: guilty of first-degree murder, guilty of second-degree murder, manslaughter or not guilty.
Defense attorneys said they are reserving comment until the trial's penalty phase, scheduled for May 6 of this year.
The trial
During the trial, prosecutors argued that Ragan intended to kill Perez and should receive the death penalty.
The defense countered that the evidence did not support a first-degree murder charge. Ragan chose not to testify.
Testimony from multiple witnesses connected Ragan to a series of violent crimes in November 2013.
A firearms expert testified that shell casings from multiple crime scenes matched the same 9-millimeter firearm.
One of the most significant pieces of evidence came from the Hong Kong Nails shooting, where Ragan is accused of fatally shooting 10-year-old Aaron Vu and injuring his father, Hai Vu, during a robbery. Surveillance footage captured the attack, and Hai Vu testified about the night his son was killed.
Additionally, Kevin Burke, who was shot in a separate 2013 robbery, testified that Ragan was the gunman who shot him while attempting to rob him.
Judge Tinkler-Mendez allowed evidence from these other alleged crimes to be presented, stating that it could help establish Ragan's identity in Perez's murder.
In court Thursday, Perez's mother did not comment on the verdict and neither did Ragan's family members.
Ragan appeared to have little reaction to the verdict.
He now awaits sentencing, with prosecutors seeking the death penalty.