Lebaron Trial Winding Down
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WWW.KEYSNET.COM WEDNESDAY,MAY 1,2013 VOLUME 60, NO. 35 ● 25 CENTS IN THE COURTS LeBaron trial winding down By SEAN KINNEY the South Blood-splatter expert testifies about allowed Whitmore to stay on “She then heard sounds of [email protected] Florida his boat and that she led a struggle and noise she Regional patterns found in Gardner’s boat LeBaron to the vessel to lay in described as bones crunch- On Day 6 of Jonathon Office of wait and rob Gardner. Instead, ing. The autopsy confirmed LeBaron’s first-degree mur- Conflict little energy like pooling or ined a picture of Gardner’s LeBaron allegedly beat that Mr. Gardner suffered a der trial in Key West, the 12 Counsel dripping; spatter, which is bloody and beaten body with Gardner to death and stole his broken upper and lower jaw jurors got a lesson in blood guided more high energy involving his head wedged near the bot- car. The couple was arrested as well as having numerous splatters. expert “con- an impact or pressure from an tom step of the cabin. in Midvale, Utah, 12 days teeth knocked out.” LeBaron, 36, faces a possi- sulting arterial cut; and altered, cover- Prosecutors, who rested after the killing based on an Using photos to illustrate ble death sentence if convict- LeBARON forensic sci- ing an array of things like clot- their case on Monday, built anonymous tip to police. his points, James told jurors ed of beating to death Richard entist” Stuart James through ting, wiping or insect activity. their case around testimony Whitmore previously told that blood found on the walls Gardner, 57, aboard Gardner’s testimony focusing on the “There was physical activ- from Kristen Whitmore, 44, police “that when she got to and kitchen table “is likely boat Flo To Me at the bloody interior of the boat. ity involving bloodshed that who pleaded guilty to sec- the bottom of the stairs, the impact spatter from a stand- Oceanside Marina on Stock James started by explain- took place at the bottom of ond-degree murder for her flashlight suddenly went out ing position,” indicating an Island on Feb. 10, 2009. ing to the 12-person jury the the stairs,” James testified, role in the slaying. She’s and she felt a weight on her assault on someone who was Tuesday, LeBaron attor- three categories of blood pointing out spatter and trans- serving 18 years in prison. as Mr. Gardner fell back ney Jack Blumenfeld from stains: Passive, involving very fer patterns as jurors exam- Police say Gardner had against her. ● See Trial, 6A JUNIOR DEPUTIES STATE LEGISLATURE FKAA bill is moving in Legislature Keynoter Staff ers passed a nonbinding refer- endum calling for an elected The Florida House on board by a measure of 24,366 Thursday unanimously for and 10,771 opposed. approved a bill that would Spurring it was a November change the Florida Keys 2011 meeting when then- Aqueduct Authority from an FKAA Executive Director Jim appointed to elected board Reynolds resigned abruptly. At while the Senate companion the same session, the board on Tuesday was referred to named Kirk Zuelch, then the Rules Committee. FKAA attorney, as the new If approved by both cham- agency chief. bers, the measure would go Neither the Reynolds res- to Gov. Rick Scott for adop- ignation nor his replacement tion. The governor is the one were on the agenda and cir- who makes the five board cumstances of the sudden appointments. switch were never fully The legislative session is detailed, helping fuel interest scheduled to end Friday. in an elected board. Rep. Holly Raschein (R- The FKAA oversees distri- Key Largo) is sponsoring bution of fresh water through- House Bill 1321 and Sen. out the Keys, and now also Photo courtesy SHERIFF’S OFFICE Dwight Bullard (D-Miami) handles a significant portion Sgt. Marc Maison from the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office spends some time last week talking to the children of the the Senate companion. of sewer issues in unincorpo- Grace Jones Day Care Center in Marathon about safety. He made them all honorary junior deputies and gave them In November, Monroe vot- rated Monroe County. badges and coloring books. IN THE COURTS KEY LARGO Vogel to be called Winds, lack of water intensified fire Departments from in killer’s hearing No cause yet Miami-Dade County, determined for Islamorada and Monroe “He feels, County helped put out the She served as after all these Sunday blaze fire. A Sea Tow boat crew prosecutor in years, he helped prevent the fire from deserves a By DAVID GOODHUE spreading to boats docked in Ayala’s case chance at and KEVIN WADLOW the marina by spraying canal redemption,” [email protected] water on the vessels and By DAVID OVALLE said attorney other structures, Herrin said. [email protected] Jim Lewis, A fire in a Key Largo Islamorada Fire Chief who filed his AYALA neighborhood spread quick- William Wagner said fire- Miami Cocaine Cowboys request last ly and destroyed two homes fighters had the blaze under hitman Jorge Ayala, suspect- week in Miami-Dade Circuit Sunday, largely due to a control in about 45 minutes, ed of 35 drug slayings and Court. “I think he’s done a lot combination of high winds but that was long enough to convicted in three, wants out of good. He put a lot of people and lack of available water burn up two homes, almost of prison. in jail, one of the few people to battle the blaze. destroy a third and cause Ayala, whose penchant for who stood up to the “Water supply was defi- heat damage to a house dirty talk with secretaries Colombian Cartel.” nitely a challenge,” said across the street. dealt a damaging blow to the Ayala, 48, was a feared Chief Sergio Garcia of the The nearest fire hydrant prosecution of Miami drug gunman for the cartel. Key Largo Volunteer Fire- was at least 4,000 feet away kingpin Griselda Blanco, is Detectives believed the Rescue Department. — too far for fire trucks to asking a judge to reduce his charismatic hitman was to The fire started at 716 reach with their 1,000 to 1,200 life prison term because of his blame for 35 drug-related Garden State Lane in the feet of hose, Wagner said. “substantial” cooperation with contract murders. Cross Key Waterways subdi- Garcia said water from law enforcement in the 1980s. He pleaded guilty in 1993 vision at mile marker 103 on the hydrant may have been And to help his client’s to three murders and was the bayside of U.S. 1. All the insufficient, anyway, since a cause, Ayala’s attorney is sentenced to life with the homes were unoccupied and hydrant pumps out about planning to call the former possibility of parole after 25 nobody was injured, said 500 gallons of water per Miami-Dade prosecutor on years. Last year, Florida’s Photo courtesy SHERIFF’S OFFICE Becky Herrin, a spokes- minute and Sunday’s blaze his case: Catherine Vogel — parole commission denied woman with the Monroe One of the houses burns on Sunday as firefighters work now the elected Monroe County Sheriff’s Office. to extinguish the blaze. ● See Fire, 6A County state attorney. ● See Hearing, 3A INDEX Printed on 100% Classifieds . .4B recycled Citizenship newsprint Higher Living . .2B CONTENTS © 2013 level drive Business . .5A KEYNOTER PUBLISHING CO. Archbishop Thomas Two Coral Shores Obituaries . .2A Wenski launches a major High athletes make it push at citizenship for Opinion . .4A official and commit to South Florida’s legal playing on the college Sports/Outdoors . .1B permanent residents. level. Story, 1B Crossword . .6A 7786790 22222 Story, 3A 2A Wednesday, May 1, 2013 KeysNet.com Keynoter NEWS BRIEFS MONROE COUNTY SCHOOLS STATE LEGISLATURE Body identified as Upper Keys man Porter trying to Officials still hopeful A man whose body was for sewer money found Friday in an inflatable hone long-term plan dinghy off Islamorada near They’re already we’ve been dealing with this Shell Key has been identified would allow the school sys- on where they live. for a long time. as Robert Newbold, 67. Third phase tem to meet the broad goals. Prior to establishing a lobbying for The state has mandated The Monroe County starts in June The six goals defined by committee, Porter conducted that the Keys as a whole have Sheriff’s Office says there is the committee in meetings seven “community engage- 2014 funding central sewers operating by no evidence of foul play and By SEAN KINNEY December 2015. April 22 and 27 are student ment sessions” designed to By KEVIN WADLOW that Monday, Newbold’s [email protected] achievement, communication survey Monroe County resi- “We’ll continue fighting family was told of his death. and community engagement, dents on issues such as Senior Staff Writer the battle and I remain opti- Two boaters found Keys schools Super- human workforce, technolo- School Board performance, [email protected] mistic that the money will be Newbold. Saturday night, the intendent Mark Porter, hav- gy, resource management, teacher performance and in the budget next year,” manager of Domino’s Pizza ing recently wrapped up and culture and climate. quality of schools. The Florida Legislature’s Neugent said. “Indications in Tavernier called the two meetings of his 45-per- “What I’m doing is try- That data was given to session that winds to a close are the economy is improv- Sheriff’s Office and told Sgt. son strategic planning com- ing to reshape those a little the committee members but Friday should end with few ing, which is a precursor of Mark Coleman that Newbold mittee, now is working to bit to bring more common as raw data, lacking sum- surprises for Monroe good things happening next hadn’t shown up for work.