INDIAN RIVER COUNTY — “We are here today because that man right there, that defendant, shot and murdered Joseph Farruggio,” said Assistant State Attorney Chris Taylor in his closing statements to the jury this morning in the murder trial, State vs. Vose.
Bradford Vose, of Vero Lake Estates, is being accused of murder in the first degree for the death of Farruggio in an incident that took place on Sept. 8, 2010.
In a speech lasting over 90 minutes, Taylor represented to the jury several pieces of evidence and witness testimonies, spelling out in chronological order the events that took place leading up to, during, and following Farruggio’s death.
Taylor’s argument recounted text messages allegedly proving that Vose had conspired with an accomplice, Courtney Jones, to rob Farruggio of a quarter pound of “cryppy,” or high-grade marijuana.
Much of Taylor’s speech hinged on the six gunshots fired from Vose’s firearm.
The defense has built its case intending to prove that Vose acted in self-defense.
Taylor argued that evidence proves the first two gunshots were fired before Farruggio even threw a punch. He added there is evidence of a self-defense maneuver on behalf of the victim.
The following three gunshots, Taylor described, were fired with considerable separation between the Vose and Farruggio.
According to an expert witness, as restated by Taylor, the victim was still alive prior to the sixth and final gunshot.
“He absolutely made sure that he was going to shoot him between the eyes, right into the brain,” Taylor said. “Skin to metal.”
The quarter pound of marijuana was worth $1,000 to $1,200. According to Taylor, Vose only had $200 in cash in his possession and Jones had no money.
When Jones took the stand earlier in the week, he testified to being an accomplice in the plan to rob Faruggio and that the duo had performed a similar stunt without violence in January of 2010. He also described the position of Farruggio’s dead body as law enforcement found and photographed the body on the evening of Sept. 10.
According to Taylor, Jones had not been shown pictures of the crime scene, giving weight to his accomplice testimony and placing him at the scene.
Defense attorney Bobby Guttridge will have the jury’s attention beginning at 12:45 p.m.
Guttridge is expected to recount to jurors a scene in which a robbery was never intended. Additionally, he will likely suggest to the jury that Vose was being punched, kicked and pummeled, justifying the gunshots as a result of self-defense.
