Four men were convicted of first-degree murder last Friday in the killing of Jacksonville rapper Julio Foolio. One of them, Sean Gathright, broke down crying in the courtroom as the verdict was read. The footage that trended over the weekend and has now been viewed millions of times.
Another defendant is going viral this week for the exact opposite reaction. Davion Murphy, 29, has not cried. During the penalty phase, as the jury weighs whether he should live or die, Murphy has been seen reading a magazine. He smiles. He laughs, not audibly, but visibly, his face and body giving it away. He makes no attempt to hide it. No poker face. No look of regret. Days earlier, during closing arguments, he had argued with the judge loudly enough to be warned multiple times before being removed from the courtroom. Surveillance footage from his arrest showed him alone in an interview room, pantomiming a shooting.
He has not apologized. He has not asked the jury for mercy. If you only followed the trial, you would think you were looking at a man with nothing left to lose and nothing to say. You would be wrong…