The ex-girlfriend of an ice cream man allegedly driven to bloody vengeance after a paltry robbery left him partially handicapped testified in a Florida courtroom late Monday afternoon that her then-beau bought a gun and searched for his attackers.
Michael Keetley, 53, stands accused of two counts of murder and four counts of attempted murder for allegedly dressing up like law enforcement and forcing a group of men to the ground at a house on Ocean Mist Court in Ruskin — a census-designated place in the middle of the Sunshine State – and killing two of them during a wild-but-calculated rampage on Thanksgiving morning in 2010.
The defendant has been in jail for over a decade; he almost beat the charges once – convincing 10 jurors in Hillsborough County of his innocence. But the jury remained hung. Two members were adamant that he killed brothers Juan Guitron, 28, and Sergio Guitron, 22, who went by “Magic” and “Spider.” Eventually, a mistrial was declared.
Hillsborough County officials are also adamant about their police work. Keetley’s second trial is now underway.
More Law&Crime coverage: WATCH LIVE: Ice cream man faces double murder trial for seeking revenge on suspected robbers
During testimony late Monday, the defendant’s then-girlfriend, Stacey Rogan, told jurors that Keetley often talked about trying to find the people who injured him in January 2010.
“He was actively looking for the people that shot him,” she said in response to a question from prosecutor Jennifer Johnson.
The state’s attorney then elicited testimony from the witness that Keetley made statements about taking the law into his own hands.
“Did he tell you what actions he took?” Johnson asked.
The witness said her ex just mentioned talking to residents in the area about the culprits who shot him four times during the robbery, which resulted in a haul of $12.
“Did he talk to you at all about his feelings about law enforcement’s investigation regarding that?” the prosecutor continued.
This time, Rogan had a bit more to say.
“He was very frustrated that they weren’t listening to him,” she said. “He felt that they weren’t listening to him and they weren’t doing anything about information, I guess, that he was getting.”
The suspect’s ex-girlfriend also told jurors Keetley said he was buying a new “handgun” at a Publix supermarket after the attack. The witness said she did not know what kind of firearm it was but said her then-boyfriend told her he wanted a gun that was more “comfortable” for his hand.
The defense claims Keetley could not carry out the murders because of the injuries he sustained when he was robbed and beaten earlier that year.
During his previous trial, the surgeon who operated on Keetley said it was “extremely unlikely” that he would have been able to lift, hold, or fire a gun with his right hand on the day of the shooting. The defendant had intensive surgery on his right arm and at least three surgeries on his left hand in the months after he was attacked.
“What am I going to do?” Keetley asked investigators during his police interview. “Hobble over there and shoot them left-handed?”
Defense attorney John Grant signaled during his opening statement on Monday morning that the alleged impossibility of his client carrying out the attack will, again, be a key focus in the case.
Rogan, on direct examination, said she didn’t notice anything abnormal about the defendant’s hand when she saw him after the attack.
During cross-examination, Grant worked to poke holes in Rogan’s claims.
Keetley’s ex-girlfriend previously testified that the two dated for six to nine months. The defense pointed out to the jury that the ex-girlfriend only saw Keetley once for a brief encounter after the January robbery so she was not really in any position to testify about his physical condition after the attack.
Vanessa Bein contributed to this report.
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