DADE CITY -- Testimony is about to get underway in the trial of now-79-year-old Curtis Reeves, accused of second-degree murder for gunning down 43-year-old Chad Oulson at a Wesley Chapel multiplex in 2014.
Eight years after the incident, a jury was finally sworn in at the Pasco County courthouse Monday morning, and heard opening statements. Prosecutor Scott Rosenwasser asserted that Reeves, a retired Tampa police officer who served over 20 years, including 15 years on a SWAT team and service as a homicide detective, couldn't have believed that the only way out of the situation was to shoot Oulson, who threw popcorn at Reeves following an argument over Oulson's texting. He claimed he was texting his daughter's babysitter, but both sides acknowledge he was on social media.
Defense attorney Dino Michaels pointed to Reeves' age and infirmities, including osteoporosis in his hips, making him more vulnerable.
The trial is expected to last about three weeks.
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