Steele sentencing: state's closing

DADE CITY -- The verdict has been rendered, the sentence has been carried out.

It took just 10 minutes for a Pasco County jury on Friday to end a tragedy that unfolded over nearly four years. Ten women and two men recommended a sentence of life in prison for Alfredie Steele Jr. in the death of sheriff's deputy Charles "Bo" Harrison on June 1, 2003.

Forgive us if the blogging fell off in all the chaos. Here, then, is what we didn't have time to blog about before the sentencing.

Assistant State Attorney Jim Hellickson delivered the state's closing argument:

"In this case the state has established two aggravating factors as I said in my opening statement. The defendant committed the crime in a cold, calculating, cruel, premeditated manner without any moral or legal justification.

"He took the SKS (semi-automatic rifle.) Took it out about 10 p.m. to the Withlacoochee Forest and shot it at that cook shed. Getting acclimated to the nighttime conditions, getting acclimated to the weapon, firing 12 rounds at that cook shed. Either then or sometime before he turned himself in on June 3, taking shells from the scene, shell casings which could have been connected at the scene of the murder of Lt. Bo Harrison.

"He arrived at the cook shed about 10 p.m., spent about 20 minutes there, according to his statement to the police. Shooting shots, collecting the shell casings, and when he was done he left. He said to the police he put his SKS in the back seat of the car of the car he was using ... and headed out to Rumors. He arrived at Rumors about 11:30 p.m.

"At 11:30 p.m. he arrived at Rumors, spends some time there, then walks out of Rumors. He looks across the street and sees what he says is a marked patrol car, sitting by itself, lights on, engine running. (He) gets in his car, drives behind the marked patrol cruiser, up Bald Eagle Drive. He doesn't stop. He goes around a corner. Stops at the curve. Walks back. Doesn't run back, doesn't go quickly back to try and get the shots off. He walks back to where he saw the police car with his loaded SKS. Points it at the back of the cruiser and starts cranking off 13 rounds. Four of those rounds hit the cruiser. You've seen the pictures of the back of the cruiser.

"What is significant, what is significant about all four bullet holes in that cruiser. You noticed it looking at the picture yesterday. All four bullet holes are on the driver's side, the left side of that cruiser. There are no holes on the right side, the passenger side of the cruiser. All four bullet holes were on the driver's side of that vehicle and what was on the driver's side of that vehicle?

"Lt. Bo Harrison.

"And you could see clearly in the re-enactment the head of that individual. The head he told Mr. (Nathaniel) Vanzant he could see in the cruiser and never saw move. That established heightened premeditation."

Then the prosecutor began to argue the second aggravating factor the jury had to consider: "a law enforcement officer engaged in the official performance of his duties."

Then Hellickson grabbed a large, blown-up photo of Harrison. He is in his gray uniform shirt, the long-sleeved dress uniform with his gold badge and lieutenant's bars, posed in front of the red, white and blue of an American flag.

"Here's a person you haven't heard much about the last two weeks. This is a picture of Lt. Charles "Bo" Harrison. This is what Charles Albert 'BoBo' Harrison looked like in life. Bo Harrison was a cop. Bo Harrison was a citizen of the peace. Every single one of his working days he strapped on his service pistol and went out to serve and protect. Every day he strapped on a service pistol and went out to serve and protect the people of Pasco County.

"On May 31, 2003, Lt. Harrison strapped on that service pistol and went out to serve and protect. On May 31, Lt. Harrison went out on patrol. On June 1, 2003, Lt. Harrison never came back.

"On June 1, 2003, Lt. Harrison never came back because of that man right there," Hellickson said, pointing at Steele.

"During the course of this trial the defense has been talking about the defendant being young. Mr. (Tom) Hanlon (Steele's lawyer) called him a child. On June 1, 2003, that child was a man. On June 1, 2003, the defendant was a man on a mission, to kill a cop. His mission was a success.

"Lt. Bo Harrison was going to go into retirement on June 15, 2003 after 31 years of service to the Pasco County Sheriff's Office. Instead, on June 7, 2003, Lt. Bo Harrison was buried.

"The state has established the two aggravating circumstances. Every time a law enforcement officer is killed or murdered it is an appropriate consideration for you to consider death."

-- JAMAL THALJI