Cop Killer Andrew Rolle Sentenced To Life In Prison
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MIAMI (CBSMiami) - Cop killer Andrew Rolle was sentenced to life in prison on Monday.
Rolle, 28, was charged with murder for the 2008 shooting death of 30-year old Miami Detective James Walker.
Defense attorney David Peckins acknowledged to the judge that life in prison was the only sentence in this case for his client.
"It's sad that you will be spending the rest of your life in prison but you brought this upon yourself," said Judge Marisa Tinkler Mendez.
Rolle declined to speak during the hearing, but the judge offered him the opportunity to speak to his family.
The jury delivered the verdict of guilty for both counts of first degree murder and attempted murder on Wednesday, October 8th.
During his closing argument, Peckins told jurors that the state had failed to show enough evidence linking Rolle to the scene.
"In this case [police] did everything right and made sure nothing was overlooked," Peckins told jurors. "Because there was not one piece of physical evidence that links Andrew Rolle to this scene, not one."
State prosecutor Abbe Rifkin countered Peckins' argument by telling jurors, "All roads lead to Andrew Rolle. And it's sad. It's sad for everybody. We take no joy in bringing this case, cause everybody lost."
According to witnesses during the trial, Rolle had gone to North Miami Beach on January 8th to shoot Ricardo Ajust, a rival, in a gang grudge.
Rolle was dropped off in a North Miami Beach alley by a gang associate who was driving a white Ford Taurus.
But things just went wrong from there. Police say Rolle shot at Wesner Senobe and his car, mistaking him for Ajust.
Prosecutors say after firing his weapon in the block where he believed his gang rival was, Rolle ran to a white Taurus he thought was driven by his accomplice but it was the wrong car, instead it was Walker's car.
Walker, who was off-duty, had just pulled in to park his car and visit his estranged wife.
When Rolle tried to get into the car, Walker pulled his gun. Rolle allegedly fired dozens of rounds, one hitting Walker in the head.
Rolle ran off and but was arrested a week later.
This was Rolle's second trial because a mistrial was declared in June after a dispute erupted between lawyers over whether prosecutors properly turned over to the defense a transcript of testimony from a key witness.
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