A Pasco County circuit judge has delayed indefinitely the trial of theater shooting suspect Curtis Reeves.
His lawyers argue that the 77-year-old retired Tampa police captain should get a new Stand Your Ground hearing because of changes to the state's Stand Your Ground law, which now puts the burden of proof on prosecutors.
Reeves claims he shot and killed Chad Oulson in self defense during a confrontation over texting inside the Cobb Grove 16 movie theaters in Wesley Chapel in January of 2014. Last year, the same judge, Judge Susan Barthle, rejected a request to drop charges against Reeves following a Stand Your Ground hearing.
But Florida lawmakers have since changed the law. The Florida Supreme Court is expected to determine if the new version of Stand Your Ground can apply to cases that were ongoing when the law was changed.
Judge Barthle says she doesn't want to delay Reeves' February trial, but feels she has no choice pending the outcome of the state Supreme Court's ruling.