Still No Verdict In Tundidor Trial; Jury Quits For Day
FT. LAUDERDALE (CBSMiami) – Jury deliberations will move into another day in the murder trial of Randy Tundidor Sr., who is accused of killing Nova University professor Joseph Morrissey two years ago over a landlord tenant dispute. Jurors broke for the day Tuesday afternoon without reaching a verdict.
The jurors will not be allowed to return to their families overnight. Instead, they will be sequestered, put up in a hotel in an undisclosed location for the night.
However, before the jury was charged an unexpected witness showed up and was hauled away in handcuffs.
Shortly after that, the jury began deliberating Tundidor's fate.
The six man, six woman jury twice asked if they could break for questions during their deliberations. First, they wanted a computer equipped with a video player so they could watch surveillance video of a fire at Tundidor's business.
At the second break, they asked to see evidence, specifically a 16 inch knife that simulated a murder weapon prosecutors never found. Jurors asked to hear a recording and to see cellphone records between Tundidor's phone and others during the night before the murder and the day of the killing. That request was denied, as the cellphone records are not in evidence.
Anna Marie Sanchez was supposed to testify for the defense at Tundidor's trial on Monday. When she didn't appear, someone else read a transcript of statements Sanchez previously gave related to Morissey's murder. Sanchez is the ex-girlfriend of Randy Tundidor Jr., who pleaded guilty to his part in the crime to avoid the death penalty.
Sanchez told the judge Tuesday she had to attend to "family issues" and couldn't make it to court on Monday. The judge found her in contempt of court. She was handcuffed and taken to jail.
