Man who stabbed HART bus driver found guilty of murder after jury rejects mentally ill defense
TAMPA, Fla. - Three years after the stabbing of a HART bus driver, a jury found Justin McGriff guilty of murder and did not believe his defense that he was insane at the time.
In 2019, McGriff walked up to Thomas Dunn as he was driving the public transportation bus and stabbed him in the neck. The entire incident was caught on surveillance cameras inside the bus. Prosecutors played the grisly video for jurors during opening statements.
McGriff is accused of stabbing and killing Hart bus driver Thomas Dunn.
In the video, McGriff can be seen walking from his seat in the back of the bus with a knife in his hand. He waits behind Dunn for several moments, tells him "God bless you" and when Dunn replies "Thanks. God bless you too", McGriff plunges a knife into his throat.
The bus was filled with horrified passengers, many of whom testified.
McGriff’s defense team didn't deny that he attacked and killed Dunn at random, but say mental illness is to blame.
The State Attorney’s Office initially sought the death penalty in McGriff’s murder trial but later in 2019, McGriff was found incompetent to stand trial and sent to a state hospital for treatment. The State Attorney’s Office later determined they would not seek the death penalty.
A judge set McGriff's sentencing for April 20. He faces life in prison.