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Jason Hartness to go on trial for machete murder
Gloria Gomez reports
TAMPA, Fla. - According to prosecutors, Jason Hartness was high on meth when he armed himself with a machete and stabbed a Ruskin man to death.
Now, two years later, he will take his case to the jury. In a Tampa courtroom, prosecutor Chinwe Fossett wanted the jury to hear about Hartness' criminal past.
The trial for Hartness is expected to last a week.
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Officials accused Hartness of stabbing a man to death with a machete at his Ruskin home on April 28, 2021. Witnesses say the attack was unprovoked, and the crime spree wasn’t over after the stabbing.
Prosecutors said Hartness then went after another man who showed up at his home. Records show Hartness used the same machete to hit the second victim in the back of the head while he ran away.
Jason Hartness is accused of stabbing a Ruskin man to death in 2021.
The second victim survived his injuries and is now expected to be the star witness for the state.
While both the defense and the prosecution wrestle over evidence, it may be the crime scene images of a bloody machete and murder scene that has the biggest impact on the jury.
The trial date has been set for June 5, 2023 and is expected to last a week.