Deliberations Continue Friday In Miami-Dade Detective Beating Case
MIAMI (CBSMiami) -- Jurors will return to a Miami-Dade County courthouse Friday to continue deliberations in the case against Michael Robertson.
Robertson, 36, is charged with attempted first-degree murder of Miami-Dade Detective Carlos Castillo and carjacking. He could face life in prison, if convicted.
Prosecutor Gail Levine told jurors that "there is no doubt the defendant tried to murder Carlos Castillo, a Miami-Dade police officer."
Castillo had a cinder block dropped on his head after an attack that occurred soon after he pulled Robertson over for a routine traffic stop on April 23, 2010.
When officers pulled him over in the driveway of his grandmother's house on 71st Street in Liberty City, Robertson ran away. Castillo remained at the SUV, along with Robertson's pregnant girlfriend and two young children. Police believe Robertson ran around the block, climbed a set of stairs to a landing about ten feet above where Castillo was standing and dropped the cinder block on him from above.
Robertson then jumped down from the landing and reportedly kicked Castillo in the head repeatedly, then stole the officer's Dodge Charger and ran him over twice.
Jurors were shown graphic images of the officers' injuries. During his testimony, Castillo lifted his shirt to reveal the scar that now marks his torso.
Robertson's defense counters that his DNA and fingerprints were not found at the crime scene.
A day earlier, Robertson had decided to testify in the trial against him and admitted to giving Det. Castillo his brother's name because he had a suspended license and owed child support.
But he denied attacking Castillo with a cinder block or stealing the officer's car.
In closing arguments, Levine told jurors Robertson had "no explanation."
"You can't believe him," Levine emphatically told jurors.
