INDIAN RIVER COUNTY — Bobby Guttridge, defense attorney for Bradford Vose in the State v. Vose, addressed jurors in closing arguments today, claiming “there has been a constant shading of the evidence,” presented by the State.
“The walk up from that table,” Guttridge said, gesturing from the podium to his empty seat at the defendant’s side, “has to be as hard a walk as I’ve ever made as an attorney.”
Bradford Vose, a “young, 25-year-old man who was 21-years-old at the time, his entire life is at stake, is on the line,” Guttridge said.
Vose is on trial for the alleged murder of Joseph Farruggio for an incident occurring on the evening of Sept. 8, 2010, during a marijuana deal gone wrong.
Assistant State Attorney Chris Taylor, argued Friday morning in his closing statements that Vose is guilty of first degree felony murder. He recounted evidence that he believes proves Vose was in the process of a robbery when he pulled a gun on Farruggio.
Guttridge insists that the evidence instead proves that Vose was clearly acting in self-defense. He added Vose relied on his firearm only after Farruggio had forced his way into Vose’s residence, began beating Vose down a hallway so violently that Vose was in extreme fear for his life.
In his argument, Guttridge took a knee, and eventually went all the way to the ground with a tape measure to show how low to the ground the gun used in the incident was when it was fired.
Showing the gun was only inches from the floor, Vose must have been on the ground, likely with Farruggio aggressively attacking him from above, according to Guttridge.
Guttridge continued to poke holes in the state’s argument, claiming the state belittled evidence that Farruggio had multiple wounds on his hands consistent with making multiple blows.
He used evidence of cash and bank receipts found in Farruggio’s front pocket consistent with Vose’s statements that Farruggio had taken money out of Vose’s wallet.
Addressing what Guttridge called the state’s “star witness,” Courtney Jones, Guttridge told the jury Jones had extreme incentive to cooperate with the state.
According to Guttridge, Jones was facing a 10-year sentence for a separate incident in which he pointed a gun to a person’s head and demanded money, then got into a fight with a police dog.
After agreeing to testify, Jones was released from jail without bond, according to Guttridge.
“If you can’t believe the messenger, you can’t believe the message,” Guttridge said.
“The margin of error between guilt and innocence, between freedom and prison, between life and having no more life is so small that you should not be allowed to shade any of the evidence.” Guttridge said.
At the close of his nearly two-hour argument, Guttridge compared the fear that Vose faced on the night of Sept. 8, 2010, when his life was in extreme danger, to the fear he must be facing now, as deliberations are about to begin.
“And I share that fear with him,” Guttridge said.
After defense attorney Guttridge finished his closing arguments, Taylor took to the podium once more, leaving jurors with one final argument before departing the courthouse for the weekend.
After walking the jury through a maze of instructions they will officially receive from the judge on Monday morning, Taylor made sure he left jurors with one final image.
Taylor carefully removed the revolver submitted in evidence from its box.
He held the gun that Vose used to shoot and kill Farruggio on the night of the incident in his right hand and approached the jury box.
After being assured by the bailiff that the gun was safe and unloaded, Taylor held a foam mannequin head in one hand, pointed the barrel of the gun between its eyes, and pulled the trigger, demonstrating one last time what Taylor called the “assassination” shot that was the demise of Farruggio.
Jurors will return to Indian River County courthouse on Monday morning to receive instructions on the law from Judge Midelis and immediately begin deliberations.
