Man Convicted of First-Degree Murder in North Miami Motel Shooting

Jury Deliberation and Verdict

• ⚖️ Jurors found Anthawn Reagan guilty of first-degree premeditated murder for the 2013 shooting death of Luis Perez.
• ⏱️ The verdict was reached after approximately six hours of deliberation on Thursday evening.
• 📌 The jury began deliberating at 11:15 AM and returned the guilty verdict later that day.

Elements of First-Degree Murder

• 🎯 To prove first-degree premeditated murder, the state had to establish three elements beyond a reasonable doubt: that Luis Perez is dead, that the death was caused by Reagan's criminal act, and that the killing was premeditated.
• 🧠 The prosecution argued that Reagan committed to and executed his plan to kill Perez.

Evidence and Testimony

• 🔫 Investigators connected Reagan to the motel murder by using casings from other crime scenes that were fired from the same 9mm firearm.
• 🗣️ Reagan's accomplice, Terry Neely, refused to testify, but jurors heard a transcript of his prior statements identifying Reagan as the shooter.
• 🚫 The defense presented no witnesses, and Reagan himself declined to testify.

Defense Arguments and Sentencing Phase

• 🤔 Reagan's attorney argued that the state presented no proof of premeditation, suggesting the case relied on assumptions.
• 📅 The penalty phase trial is scheduled to begin on May 6th, where the same jurors will decide if Reagan should receive the death penalty or life in prison.