Morris twins’ trial: Lawyers make closing arguments in assault case

URIEL J. GARCIA

Maricopa County prosecutors and defense lawyers on Thursday made their final arguments in a trial against two former Phoenix Suns players and a co-defendant charged with beating a man after a basketball tournament in 2015.

After seven days of presenting evidence, Daniel Fisher, the prosecutor who made the final argument for the state, presented a narrative that ex-Suns Marcus and Markieff Morris had a grudge against Erik Hood that led at least one of the brothers with three other men to beat the victim.

Meanwhile, Markieff Morris served as a lookout for the attackers, Fisher said.

Both brothers played for the Suns at the time of the attack. Markieff now is with the Washington Wizards. Marcus is with the Boston Celtics.

Hood is a former friend of the Morris brothers who they knew from their hometown of Philidelphia.

But Tim Eckstein, who presented the closing argument for the defendants and who is also the lawyer for Marcus Morris, told jurors there is enough reasonable doubt to find the Morrises and Gerald Bowman not guilty. He also said Hood falsely accused the Morrises so that he could later file a lawsuit against them.

The Morris brothers and Bowman, who also know each other from growing up in Philadelphia, are each charged with two counts of aggravated assault. Two other defendants in the case, Julius Kane and Christopher Melendez, have pleaded guilty to two counts of aggravated assault. They will be sentenced Oct. 16.

Fisher argued that even though Hood has a pending lawsuit against the Morrises over the incident, it’s irrelevant in this case because it doesn’t mean the twins and Gerald Bowman didn’t commit a crime.

“Wealthy people can commit crimes as well,” Fisher said. “The fact that the victim knows that person has money, after the fact, doesn’t negate the criminal conduct. They still need to be held accountable for breaking the law.”

Fisher told the jury that Hood and Sherika Sharad, a woman who was with Hood the night of the incident and testified at the trial, didn’t have time to fabricate a story with each other. Also, neither of them had a motive to lie about who attacked Hood, Fisher said.

“The only motive for what occurred to Mr. Hood that night comes from the Morris brothers,” Fisher said.

Early in the case, evidence was presented that the Morrises had a falling out with Hood over a text in 2011.

Hood reportedly told authorities the text in question said he had always been there for the Morris twins’ mother. Hood believed Kane inferred the statement to mean their relationship had become sexual. Kane later told the twins about the text, which made the Morrisses upset, the prosecutor argued.

This led to the attack on Jan. 24, 2015, Fisher said.

Kane approached Hood and Melendez struck the victim from behind, Fisher said. Hood tried to run, but a group of men caught up to him, punched and kicked him, Fisher said. While Bowman, Kane, Melendez and Marcus Morris attacked Hood, Markieff Morris served as a lookout and eventually a getaway driver, Fisher said.

Eckstein said there was no dispute that Hood was attacked. But the men responsible have already pleaded guilty and justice will be served when they get sentenced next month, he said.

He added that Hood’s motive had always been to cash in on a payout from the two NBA players even if that meant accusing three innocent people. Eckstein also argued to jurors that Hood’s inconsistencies during a police interview should create reasonable doubt.

Hood was sure five men, including the Morrises and Bowman, attacked him, according to an interview with a police detective, Eckstein said. But his story changed minutes later when Hood said he wasn’t sure if Markieff Morris attacked him, Eckstein said.

“If Markieff Morris was going to be out, if he wasn’t going to be someone who had taken part in this altercation, Marcus had better be there. Because if it’s just Julius Kane and a couple of other people I don’t know, well, that’s not worth anything,” Eckstein argued, speculating on Hood’s thoughts.

Bowman, a former University of Southern California football safety, had testified the charges derailed his potential NFL career. He said the Baltimore Ravens, an NFL team that signed him as an undrafted free agent in May 2015, released him after team management found out about his legal case.

The Morrises could face probation or prison time if convicted. A felony conviction would also automatically trigger a minimum 10-game suspension for the brothers, per the NBA’s collective-bargaining agreement.