LAKELAND, Fla. — Lakeland City Commissioner Michael Dunn made his first appearance in court Saturday morning, a day after his arrest on a second-degree murder charge in the October 3 killing of 50-year-old Christobal Lopez. Dunn accused Lopez of stealing a hatchet from his Army supply store.
Video of the incident is now putting Florida’s controversial stand your ground law back in the spotlight.
Dunn was seen for the first time via a closed-circuit television monitor dressed in a bright orange Polk County Jail jumpsuit Saturday as a judge announced he’d remain in custody without bond.
“You are here on a charge of second-degree murder with a firearm,” said Judge Bob Grode in Saturday’s brief first appearance hearing. “I have an order here signed by Chief Judge Jacobson which indicates no bond on that charge.”
That means Dunn will remain behind bars at least until a bond hearing likely next month. The case is already starting to grab national attention with Florida’s 'Stand your ground' law in the spotlight once again.
“One, we have another video and two, we have a city commissioner,” said St. Pete Criminal Defense Attorney and 10News legal expert Rohom Khonsari.
He says even though the event was captured on camera, the case could still be a challenging one on both sides.
“I think what this case is going to come down to is what we can’t see,” said Khonsari. “Is there any other interaction between Mr. Dunn and this gentleman? What happened before this? What are the witnesses going to say?”
Dunn’s defense already suffered its first big blow in the form of a second-degree murder charge handed down following a grand jury indictment Friday night.
“The charging recommendation is definitely bad news for him,” said Khonsari. “It’s going to affect his possibility of being given bond and the defense will be facing a more uphill battle than if it were a manslaughter charge.”
If convicted, Dunn could get a sentence of 20 years to life. State Attorney Brian Haas told reporters Monday night he did not believe stand your ground would apply in this case. Dunn’s attorney however says he’ll still make the argument for self-defense.
“Any time you have a weapon in somebody’s else hand, you’re going to make an argument,” suggested Khonsari. “A lot of the facts will depend on what happened before the video started, the hatchet being outside the door and the man not turning around towards Mr. Dunn and the fact Mr. Dunn was pulling him back into the store is going to hurt his argument.”
Dunn will be back in court November 6. Still no word on what will happen with his city commission seat in Lakeland, a decision that could ultimately be left up to Governor Rick Scott.
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