Man to be tried — for the sixth time — in 2007 murder case
There was nothing easy about the prosecution of Leon Reid and Phillips Pierre, accused of the 2007 murder of Anthony Elias and the attempted murder of his friend, AndrewAllen.
There were four trials in the years after the shootings, and there were four hung juries. In court last week 2012, after a fifth trial, Reid and Pierre were convicted and sentenced to life in prison. But for at least one of the defendants, it ’s not over.
An appeals ordered a sixth trial forReid, 29, faulting the prosecutor for his closing argument and the judge for allowing a witness to let jurors know about the previous trials.
The victims, Elias and Allen, were “in the possession” of a stolen car on Jan. 4, 2007, when theywere confronted by an armed group that included the vehicle’s owner and the two defendants. The defendants were accused by police of killing Elias and critically injuring Allen.
Defense lawyers for Reid and Pierre pointed the finger at the stolen vehicle’s owner, William Tibe.
Trials were held in April 2008 and May 2009 before Broward Circuit Judge Jeffrey R. Levenson and in October 2009 and February 2011 before Broward Circuit Judge Ilona Holmes. Each time, the jury deadlocked.
Defense lawyer H. Dohn Williams, who is not associated with the case, said it’s unusual to go through that many retrials, ei-