INDIAN RIVER COUNTY – Bradford Vose, the 25-year-old defendant a jury found guilty of the 2010 murder of Joseph Farruggio, was sentenced on Tuesday to life without parole.
Senior Judge James W. Midelis delivered the first life sentence on account of the first degree murder charge; Vose was also given a second life sentence to run consecutive to the first, with a minimum mandatory term of 25 years for robbery with a firearm.
At the time of the murder, Farruggio and Vose were in the middle of a transaction of high-grade marijuana, at the defendant’s home in Vero Lake Estates.
Assistant State Attorney Chris Taylor outlined for the jury an event in which Vose and his friend, Courtney Jones, conspired to rob the drugs from Farruggio.
When Farruggio became confrontational, Vose pulled a .38-caliber revolver out of his waistband and emptied six rounds toward the Farruggio, four of which hit the victim.
Defense Attorney Bobby Guttridge argued that Vose did not intend to rob Farruggio, but instead was duped by Jones who fled with the marijuana, leaving Vose to deal with an angered Farruggio. When the situation turned physical, Guttridge argued, Vose fired in self-defense.
The jury was not convinced of Guttridge’s argument, and delivered a guilty verdict after approximately four hours of deliberations, ultimately putting Vose behind bars for the rest of his life.
