Dontae Morris, the Tampa man who shot and killed two Tampa police officers during a routine traffic stop on June 29, 2010, is expected to be sentenced Friday morning in Hillsborough Circuit Court.
He faces the death penalty for the murders of officers Jeffrey Kocab and David Curtis.
Morris, 28, already is serving a life prison sentence for the murder of Rodney Jones and he faces two more murder trials in the slayings of Harold Wright and Derek Anderson.
Circuit Judge William Fuente presided over the trial last year in which Morris was convicted of the murders. The jury recommended Morris be sentenced to death. Though the recommendation is not binding, it does carry considerable weight.
All the legal memos have been submitted and Fuente denied a motion earlier this month to delay the sentencing by defense attorneys.
The hearing is scheduled for 8:30 a.m. in Courtroom 51 of the Hillsborough County Courthouse annex.
Morris shot and killed Kocab and Curtis as they were taking him into custody on a warrant. He ran off and was the subject of a massive manhunt for about a week before he turned himself in to face the charges.
Copyright 2014 - Tampa Tribune, Fla.
McClatchy-Tribune News Service
