Nov. 8, 2001Jury finds 15-year-old not guilty of attempted murder
By Brian Monroe
VIERA - A huge smile stretched across the face of 15-year-old Brian Anthony Woods as a jury found him not guilty of first-degree attempted murder.
FLORIDA TODAYIf convicted of the crime, he could have spent his life in prison.
The jury took four hours to return another not guilty count of grand theft of a firearm, a third-degree felony with a maximum five-year prison sentence.
Woods also faced a charge of armed burglary of a dwelling, a third-degree felony, but the jury found Woods guilty of a lesser charge of trespassing. It also carries a possible prison term of five years.
Woods' next court date is a sentencing hearing Feb. 27 at 1:30 p.m. before Circuit Judge John "Jack" Griesbaum on the trespassing charge.
"It's been a tough case for everybody," said defense attorney Richard A. Manzo. "But I trust in the jury system. They usually have a good grasp of the whole of the case and they did in this case."
Prosecutors say Brian Anthony Woods tried to kill 42-year-old west Cocoa resident Tommy Knight during a foiled burglary in Knight's Fleetwood Place home two years ago.
Assistant State Attorney Glenn A. Craig wasn't as pleased with the verdict. "It's very disappointing," he said. "The jury didn't believe Knight. I can't believe someone can break into a homeowner's home, shoot at him and not be held responsible."
Craig said Woods and his friend, Edward Osborne, scoped out Knight's home to rob it while the family went to Wal-Mart. Knight came home early and heard a pop from his bedroom, Knight testified Tuesday.
Knight said he told Woods twice to put down the gun, but instead Woods "pointed the gun at my chest and pulled the trigger. I heard the click."
The weapon didn't fire, giving Knight a chance to run for his garage. He said he heard two more shots while he was running that shattered his back sliding glass door.
Woods took the stand Wednesday and said he never pointed the gun at Knight.
"He was just in the wrong place at the wrong time," his father Stanley Woods said.