ST. AUGUSTINE BEACH, Fla. — Manslaughter charges against a St. Augustine man were dismissed by a judge Friday, who said the shooting was justifiable self-defense.
The order granting Luis Casado’s 'Stand Your Ground' motion means he will no longer face criminal charges for the May 2021 death of Adam Amoia.
In his ruling, Circuit Judge Lee Smith found Casado acted within his rights when he shot Amoia. He said Casado was in a place where he had a right to be, and “kept backing away from the attack” before shooting.
He noted Casado was legally carrying a firearm and “did believe deadly force was necessary to prevent imminent death or great bodily harm.”
The judge said Amoia and his friends “were the initial aggressors, and they struck [Casado] repeatedly in the face and head.”
Under Florida’s Stand Your Ground law, the burden of proof shifts to the state. Prosecutors must show “by clear and convincing evidence” that the defendant is not entitled to immunity. In this case, Smith said, the state failed to show that.
The judge cited video surveillance footage of the incident as “the best evidence in the case.” The video shows Casado approach Amoia and his friends who at some point began to push him away and hit him in the face.
“The Defendant quickly puts up his hands in a submissive posture,” the judge wrote. But that was followed by full face slaps that “caused the defendant’s head to be thrown violently backwards.”
The judge said Casado “continuously retreated backwards” during the attack “until he backed up against the outer wall of Dos Gatos. "Mr. Amoia then delivered two additional strikes to the Defendant’s face. At this point, and after absorbing several violent and continuous blows to his face, the Defendant pulled a gun from his pants pocked and fired it at Mr. Amoia.”
The judge added, “The entire event – from the moment Mr. Amoia and Mr. Santiago began the attack, to the moment the Defendant began defending himself – occurred in less than 15 seconds. All seven shots were fired in 1.6 seconds.”
First Coast News reached out to the State Attorney's Office for comment. Amoia's family was not immediately available.
This is a developing story.
You can read the full order here.