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Tampa jury returns not guilty verdict in murder trial
Gloria Gomez reports
TAMPA, Fla. - A Tampa jury in the Jose Ortiz murder trial has just handed down its verdict: Not guilty on all counts.
Ortiz was accused of causing a chain of events that led to the death of his 14-year-old nephew, Jason Lopez. But a jury Thursday afternoon, didn’t buy it and acquitted him of all charges.
Before they began their deliberations, they heard from the last witness, the father of the child killed two years ago, also named Jason Lopez.
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The father cried on the stand as he described the violent chain of events that led to his son’s death. The boy was struck by a car and pinned underneath a vehicle as deputies frantically tried to save him.
Pictured: 14-year-old Jason Lopez.
Tragically, the child died of his injuries.
His father says when his son was rushed to the hospital, investigators zeroed in on him.
"They just kept interrogating me. They wouldn’t let me leave, and they closed everything off around me," sobbed Lopez. "I kept telling them ‘please, let me go see my son,’ and they never did. And then, I got a phone call that I had lost my son."
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Prosecutor say the tragedy unfolded on Super Bowl Sunday in 2021. Carmen Montero was delivering a pizza at a Super Bowl party at an apartment complex in Carrollwood.
There was a confrontation at the door between Montero and others at the party. Prosecutor say Montero left and then return to the apartment to continue fighting.
During the brawl, Montero got in her Lexus and tried to leave, and that’s when they say Ortiz pulled out a gun and shot Montero in the neck. The wheels on the car began spinning, and the vehicle veered to the right, striking the child and pinning him underneath the vehicle.
Montero survived her injuries and was supposed to testify, but she never showed up. The defense blamed her for instigating the whole thing and causing the child’s death, not Ortiz.
Late Thursday afternoon, the jury agreed, and Ortiz left the courthouse a free man.