Jury Convicts Man Accused Of Dropping Cinder Block On Cop

MIAMI (CBSMiami) – A Miami-Dade County jury has convicted a man for dropping a cinder block on the head of Miami-Dade Police Detective Carlos Castillo.

The verdict against Michael Robertson, 36, came after more than eight hours of deliberations.

The jury found Robertson guilty of felony attempted murder, carjacking, and burglary.

The case started when Castillo pulled Robertson over for a traffic stop on April 23, 2010. Robertson ran after officers pulled him over, but Castillo remained at the stopped SUV along with Robertson's pregnant girlfriend and two young children.

Prosecutors said Robertson ran around the block, climbed a set of stairs to a landing about 10 feet above where Castillo was standing and dropped a cinder block on the detective's head. Robertson then jumped down from the landing and repeatedly kicked Castillo in the head.

Police said Robertson then stole the officer's Dodge Charger and ran Castillo over twice.

Jurors were shown graphic images of the officers' injuries. During his testimony, Castillo lifted his shirt to reveal the scar that now marks his torso. Robertson's defense counters that his DNA and fingerprints were not found at the crime scene.

Prosecutor Gail Levine told jurors Thursday that "there is no doubt the defendant tried to murder Carlos Castillo, a Miami-Dade Police officer."

In testimony on Wednesday, Robertson had decided to testify in the trial against him and admitted to giving Det. Castillo his brother's name because he had a suspended license and owed child support. But he denied attacking Castillo with a cinder block or stealing the officer's car.

In closing arguments Thursday, Levine told jurors Robertson had "no explanation."

"You can't believe him," Levine emphatically told jurors.

Robertson will be sentenced to life without the possibility of parole for the felony conviction on attempted first-degree murder.