Jury finds Jacksonville man not guilty of home invasion and assault charges

A jury needed just 25 minutes to find a Jacksonville man not guilty of two serious felony charges in connection with an alleged robbery. The man was accused of breaking into a woman’s home, demanding money and then beating her, according to a report from News4Jax. The woman said she knew who the man was because he used to mow her lawn for her, the television station reported. The man was charged eight felonies, but he went to trial last month on by far the two most serious charges — home invasion robbery and burglary with assault. Both of these Jacksonville Theft Charges are first-degree felonies with a maximum penalty of 30 years in prison on each charge.

The jury, however, did not feel the state had proven the two charges against him beyond a reasonable doubt and found him not guilty. But that’s not the end of the road for the defendant. He is still facing several felony charges in connection with the same incident, the television station reported. Those charges include robbery by sudden snatching, burglary to a structure and four counts of uttering forged bills. Each charge is a third-degree felony punishable by up to five years in state prison. If convicted of all six charges, he could be looking at a total of 30 years in prison, should the judge choose to issue consecutive sentences.

In many Jacksonville Felony Cases where a person is facing multiple and varying charges, the state will split them up into different cases. In this Jacksonville Theft Case, the man is accused of identity theft after the physical theft, so that’s likely why the first two were tried separately. It’s unclear to date whether the state plans on taking the cases to trial again or if plea negotiations will be opened again. From the defendant’s perspective, he likely feels there’s a reason he was found not guilty last month and may be unwilling to plead guilty to anything. On the state side, there is a person who says she was robbed and victimized, and this may be a case prosecutors feel strongly about taking to trial. Cases like this Duval County Theft Case illustrate the importance of having several layers of the criminal justice system before someone is sentenced to prison. When the headlines started in this case, it was essentially assumed the man was guilty and that he committed this series of violent crimes. But a jury of his peers decided otherwise. That is why cases are not tried in the media or decided by detectives. Our Jacksonville Criminal Defense Attorney has taken dozens of cases to trial and will work with you or your loved one to help determine the best way to fight the charges that you or your loved one are facing.

If you or a loved one needs a criminal defense attorney in Jacksonville or the surrounding area, call The Mussallem Law Firm at (904) 365-5200 for a FREE CONSULTATION. Our Jacksonville Theft Attorney, Victoria “Tori” Mussallem, is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.