NASSAU COUNTY, Fla — The jury is now deliberating in the death penalty trial of the man who killed Nassau County Sheriff's Office deputy Joshua Moyers.
Proceedings did not start off as planned Thursday morning in what could be the final day of the penalty phase of the death penalty trial over Moyers' murder.
After nearly two-weeks of evidence, closing arguments were set to begin Thursday morning. Instead, in an unexpected and unusual move, the defendant, Patrick McDowell, asked the judge to re-open evidence so he could make a statement to the jury, against the advice of his attorneys.
The jury will decide if McDowell will be put to death for the 2021 murder of Deputy Joshua Moyers. A verdict could come down as soon as Thursday.
After a tense delay in the courtroom Thursday morning, McDowell read his statement to the jury. He told jurors it made him sick to watch people try to excuse what he did and that he "never once considered" Moyers's life and just "killed him to get away."
McDowell testified if someone murdered his loved one this way, he would want them dead.
"I do not deserve to live a long life in a place full of people who will praise and revere me as a cop killer," McDowell told the jury. "I deserve what I gave him. He deserved better, but I do not. Let me be clear, this is not a plea for my life or for my death. This is a plea for justice for Deputy Moyers and his family."
On Wednesday, the judge said jurors should expect to get the case Thursday afternoon and plan to potentially be sequestered if deliberations last a long time. The judge told jurors to pack a bag just in case they must be sequestered at an undisclosed hotel.
The threshold for a defendant to receive the death penalty is now lower under new Florida law. Now, only eight of 12 jurors are needed to recommend death in a death penalty case. The law was changed last April and previously required a unanimous jury to recommend death.
Over the past two weeks, jurors have watched the police dashboard camera video of Moyers's murder and heard from a number of officers involved in his capture following a nearly five-day manhunt in which he shot a police K-9. Jacksonville Sheriff's Office K-9 unit officers testified they fired their weapons because they feared for their lives.
Jurors also heard, but according to court documents are not supposed to consider, victim impact testimony from Moyers's family in which they described how the murder has disrupted their lives. Moyers's parents, brother, fellow Nassau County Sheriff's deputy and fiancé, through a victim advocate, described immense grief. Several jurors were seen crying.
Jurors did not hear from the defense until the state finished showing evidence in the first two days of the trial last week. McDowell testified in his own defense, apologizing to Moyers's family and others, and testified he murdered Moyers because he did not want to go back to jail.
The defense took five days to display their evidence, though several of those days were shorter. Jurors heard from a number of Marines who knew McDowell during his time serving in Iraq. They praised McDowell's character then, calling him the "perfect" Marine and described traumatic war zone events.
McDowell's family members testified he was different when he returned from Iraq. He served in the Marines, then later worked for a private military company in an Iraqi war zone. McDowell testified he was on meth when he murdered Moyers.
The final testimony jurors heard came from doctors. The defense called two forensic psychiatrists and a clinical pharmacologist who testified they believe post-traumatic stress disorder and meth played a role in Moyers's murder. The last witness jurors heard from was a clinical psychologist called by the state. He testified he did not believe PTSD was a factor in the murder.