Update-
In the afternoon session of the trial, a tape was played of the interview the police and ADA had with Hakim Scott when he was arrested. He admits to hitting Jose with a bottle, but claimed it was part of a “tussle” that started when Jose spit on him.
Scott then described in vivid detail Phoenix hitting Jose with the bat when Jose was on the
ground.
The trial will resume Tuesday at 10 am.
Prosecutors in the Sucuzhanay murder case played a video of a police interview with Keith Phoenix from when he was initially arrested in February 2009. Phoenix told police and Assistant District Attorney Handshaft said that he had left a party on the night of the incident and that he was driving slowly because of snow. Phoenix said that he saw two men in his headlights, one of whom kicked his truck. Phoenix said he stopped the car to inspect the damage and that his friend “Fams” got out of the car and began to fight Jose Sucuzhanay.
Phoenix said that Jose fell to the ground and Fams began to fight the other man. He said that he saw Jose reach into his waistband, which Phoenix said looked like he was “going for his gun.” He said he “went for my weapon,” in the trunk of the car, which was a baseball bat.
Phoenix described his bat as a “Little League Louisville Slugger.”
In the interview, Phoenix admitted to hitting Jose four times in the torso area, and said that when Jose got up again, he hit him twice in the head.
Leave a Reply