GUILTY FL - Joni Gunter, 30, found dismembered, Jacksonville, 11 Feb 2016 *Arrest*

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Russell Tillis, the man whose Southside home was dubbed the "House of Horrors" by neighbors, was back in court on Tuesday.

Tillis was charged with kidnapping, murder and abuse of a dead body. He faces the death penalty for those charges and now, according to a new motion filed by his legal teams, his attorneys are seeking to block the death penalty.

Tillis is accused of killing Joni Lynn Gunter. Gunter’s dismembered remains were found buried on Tillis’ property, dubbed the "House of Horrors," in 2016.
Man accused of dismembering woman in a 'house of horrors' was back in court Tuesday

Russell Tillis' 12th lawyer is on the case

Judge hopes to set trial date soon for 'House of Horrors' case
 
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Jury selection is set to start Monday in the trial of Russell Tillis.

Tillis, 59, is charged in the kidnap, murder and dismemberment of Joni Gunter. Police said the woman’s remains were unearthed in the backyard of Tillis’ Southside home in 2016 while Tillis was in jail on unrelated charges.
 
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His trial comes after years of delays, and countless requests from Tillis to represent himself. The latest attempt was denied by a judge.

Tillis retained a specific lawyer for jury selection. She specializes in the ‘Colorado Method’ which aims to choose jurors that are more likely to choose a life sentence upon conviction.

In Florida a jury must be unanimous in a death penalty recommendation in order for the judge to impose one.

Jury selection continues Tuesday.
‘House of Horrors’: Russell Tillis trial
 
In the morning session, only three of 30 potential jurors said they had heard about the Tillis case. They spend the afternoon being questioned by both prosecutors and defense lawyers in the case. A second pool of 30 jurors will be questioned on Tuesday.

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As of 2:50 PM, the State has rested their case. Jury is out of the courtroom until ~ 3:05 PM. RT is being prepped by the judge for his plan to testify in his own defense. I've just read much of the full transcript of this guy's jailhouse taped confession (posted by First Coast News journalist Anne Schindler) and it's disgusting. I'm linking the journalist's Tweet with the transcript link. https://twitter.com/schindy/status/1380170672027004928. Please heed her warning - not light reading. It's also not redacted like another that I saw posted at news4jax.com. The unredacted version includes his claim that he held 6 women total like he did Joni Gunter, and that he dismembered and buried the bodies of 2 other women besides this victim off his property but in the same general area. I don't know if that part was played on the audio presented in court or not, but it makes me even more shocked that he'd testify in his own defense. This is likely going to be a sh*tstorm.
 
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We are officially on verdict watch. Closing arguments were completed before lunch, judge gave jury its instructions after lunch. Jury deliberations have begun as of 2:06 PM ET 4/9, with them receiving the evidence and electing a foreperson: https://twitter.com/schindy/status/1380583609740877830

Deliberations could go as long as 8 to 9 PM tonight and jury would be brought back Saturday to continue deliberations: https://twitter.com/WJXTJenese/status/1380581902357295107

(both links are to local MSM journalist Twitter feeds)
 
Deleted by me - duplicate of Jax49's link - I was too slow! :)
 
Prosecutor describes ‘bizarro world’ of Russell Tillis, defense claims case ‘lacks integrity’

"The jury began deliberations just before 2 p.m. About two hours later, the jury sent out a question: “In the absence of physical evidence, is an abiding conviction of his guilty enough for a conviction?”

Both the prosecution and Judge Mark Borello said the answer was yes, but the defense argued they should be told a conviction should be based on evidence and witness testimony. The lawyers collaborated to come up with a response and agreed to reiterate a couple of points from the previous jury instructions plus this statement: 'Evidence can be in the form of physical evidence, testimonial evidence or circumstantial evidence. Whether the state has met its burden of proof beyond a reasonable doubt is a matter left entirely up to the jury based on the evidence or the lack thereof.'

Deliberations resumed about 4:25 p.m."
 
Jax49 said:
It left me in shock...
Click to expand...
I've gotta say, Anne Schindler is one of the fastest, most accurate courtroom journalists; looks like both Jax49 and I are watching her feed like hawks today! ;)
 
Live news update:
Verdict: Guilty of first degree murder (count 1)
Guilty of kidnapping (count 2)
Not guilty of count 3 (sex trafficking)
Guilty of count 4 (abuse of a dead human body)

Penalty phase of the trial will be next week, Wed and Thurs next week
 
Penalty phase proceedings have begun. The state is presenting evidence/testimony for 5 aggravating factors to the jury today. The full list is here: https://www.scribd.com/document/502...ath-Penalty-and-Notice-of-Aggravating-Factors

One witness was a 14 year old girl that Tillis picked up and brutally raped in 2006. For that he served a sentence for child abuse. Another is the case in 1989 of a woman who was picked up from her broken-down car on a rural section of I-75 and raped. Both cases show a similar pattern of selecting highly vulnerable victims, treating them coldly/in a dehumanizing manner and being very sexually violent with them. It really gives one the sense of how much he's used a comparable MO, probably honed over time to reduce his risk of arrest.

Live streaming here:
Former Tillis victims testify as death penalty phase begins | firstcoastnews.com

And courtroom notes/Tweets by local journalist Anne Schindler today as well: https://twitter.com/schindy
 
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