What you're about to see is real.
I got blood all the way up to my elbow.
It's almost like I stuck my hand in a bucket of pee.
I couldn't see his face, but the blood, I thought he was shot or dead.
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And take this gun, hit it like that, and you do a lot of damage.
Hello, I'm Nick Clooney, and this is On Trial.
Today's case involves the brutal beating of a police officer by an ex-convict.
The weapon?
The officer's own gun.
On March 9th, 1988, the police of Jacksonville, Florida responded to a fellow officer's cry
for help.
When they arrived at the scene, they found Officer Samuel Aldrich lying in the street
barely conscious, covered in his own blood.
On a routine patrol, Officer Aldrich, alone in his car, spotted a man and a woman in a
Black Ford pickup parked on the wrong side of the street.
The officer asked the driver for his license, which he was unable to produce.
Officer Aldrich started to radio for information, but the driver became violent.
He knocked the policeman flat with a blow from his fist and then carried on the attack with
the policeman's pistol.
The open radio frequency carried Aldrich's pleas for assistance.
The assailant fled, taking the officer's service revolver with him.
His female companion had left before the beating occurred.
Aldrich was severely injured and required extensive corrective surgery.
Two months later, he returned to active duty as a patrolman in the same district.
The abandoned Ford truck stolen hours earlier provided the police investigators with fingerprints
revealing the identity of the alleged assailant.
Michael Turner, 21, an habitual criminal with a record of violent crime convictions, had
been released from prison only three weeks before the attack on Officer Aldrich.
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His witness says that the rule's been invoked.
Oh, that's the jury.
Michael Turner is charged with attempted first degree murder.
Michael Turner faces a penalty of life in prison as he goes on trial.
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The defense in Michael Turner's case does not deny that he beat Officer Aldrich, but
they do insist that he had no intent to kill the policeman.
It is the key issue of intent which is important in this case.
Key testimony and elements have been edited together in order to present this real case.
The trial of Michael Turner takes place in the Duval County Circuit Criminal Court in
Jacksonville, Florida.
A six member jury will determine if he is guilty as charged.
Presiding over today's proceeding is Judge Donald Moran.
The prosecuting attorney is John Bradford Stetson Jr.
He has extensive jury trial experience.
Michael Turner is represented by Attorney Thomas Duffy, an assistant public defender.
The first patrolman to arrive on the scene was Officer John Schnippert, who heard Aldrich's
cries for help over his own cruiser radio.
He is questioned about what he heard.
Do you know Sam Aldrich?
Yes I do.
And you recognize his voice?
What was he saying?
He was screaming for help.
He came back on the radio and said that he was trying to get his gun.
Would you tell the jury what you found at the scene there?
When I arrived at the scene, I first observed Officer Aldrich's patrol car and Officer Aldrich
laying on his back next to it.
What type of injuries did he have?
He had several injuries.
They were gaping wounds, one on the chin, one across the nose area, and one on the forehead.
It was hard to tell how bad the injury was.
His face was covered in blood.
Was Officer Aldrich conscious?
He was semi-conscious.
I wouldn't say conscious.
He stated he was hurt over and over again.
He also stated that he didn't want to die.
Assistant Prosecuting Attorney James Ruth questions Michael McCann, an ex-Marine who
lives in a nearby house.
He is asked if he heard any unusual sounds on the night of the crime.
Did you hear any unusual sounds?
Yes I did.
What was it that you heard?
I heard a gunshot, what I thought was a gunshot.
So eventually you were able to get outside, correct?
What did you see?
I saw a police officer laying on the ground.
Did you notice anything unusual at that time?
Yes, his neck was really contorted and there was a lot of blood.
So that's why his gun was gone.
Could you tell whether or not he was still bleeding when you were close to him?
Yes he was bleeding.
There was a hole in the middle of his nose.
I could see down into his sinus cavity.
There was a big gash on his chin.
Did you notice anything unusual about his teeth at that time?
Yes, his teeth weren't straight.
They were all crooked and there was a lot of blood.
Did they appear to be bashed in?
Yes they did.
No further questions.
Mr. Rican, I think the first thing you testified to was that you saw an officer brutalized.
Yes sir.
You did not see an officer brutalized?
I didn't see the actual physical fight.
No sir.
You never saw Michael Turner hit or strike off?
No sir, not at all.
And it was the loudspeaker ordering the driver out of his car that drew your attention back
to what was going on?
Yes sir.
And from that point in time until you got out there it was no longer than 25 to 30 seconds.
Is that about right?
As far as I can recall sir, it shouldn't have been any longer now.
Prosecution witness Franklin Pace saw the initial confrontation but did not see the actual assault.
Please tell the jury what you saw as you looked out the front window then.
I saw a well dressed, neatly dressed black man and a policeman talking, arguing.
And how was the black man talking?
He was very loud, very very loud and I couldn't understand, he was talking fast and I heard
the policeman say something but he was very very low.
And did, any time that you watched this, did the police officer do anything violent towards
the black man?
No.
What happened as you approached outside where the officer was?
When outside I took one look at the policeman and I thought he was dead.
Your Honor, I have no further questions.
Thank you Mr. Dutson.
You never saw Michael Turner hit or strike the police officer?
I don't have any other questions.
When we return the victim himself, Samuel Aldrich, takes the stand.
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This week on Cisco and Meberg, Tom Hanks and Sally Field try to make it in the tough business
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Evidence of the extreme severity of Officer Aldridge's injuries was introduced by the prosecution
to support its position that the defendant, Michael Turner, acted with intent to kill
the officer.
The defense continues to maintain that Turner was only trying to escape.
We return to the courtroom as the prosecution calls the victim, Police Officer Samuel Aldridge.
He is asked to recount his memories of the events leading up to the assault.
What do you remember happening before you lost consciousness?
I had made a right hand turn off Market Street on 9th Street when I observed a truck illegally
parked on the wrong side of the street.
I pulled up, started pulling up behind the vehicle and I noticed the driver getting out
of the vehicle at that time.
All right, after you asked him for his license, what did the defendant say?
He said he needed to go back, needed to check on his girlfriend.
What did he say about the license when you asked him for that?
He said he didn't have a license.
When he said he wanted to check on his girlfriend, what did you ask him before he said he wanted
to check on his girlfriend?
I asked him to step back to my vehicle.
And did he do as you asked and step back to your vehicle?
No, sir, he did not.
What happened next?
At that time, he turned away from me, he went back to me as if he was going to walk back
to his truck.
What did you do?
I then took a hold of his shoulder.
Okay.
And what happened next?
He jerked away from me.
I asked him, I said, no, I need to step back to my car again.
Now why didn't you want him going to his truck?
I didn't know if he had a gun or some kind of weapon.
When he jerked away from you, what was his tone of voice as he was talking to you?
He was a real belligerent.
He started to get real belligerent.
And how were you acting?
I was trying to be polite to him and let him stay calm.
What did you do next?
I then reached up to my mic on my radio here.
I was going to call for assistance.
When you reached up there to use the radio, what happened next?
He turned around and asked me, are you going to get on your radio?
I said yes.
And he said, no, you're not.
I said, yes, I am.
Well, how did you feel at that point?
I was a little scared.
Were you concerned for your safety?
Yes, sir, I was.
And what happened next?
I then went back to my vehicle to get on my car radio.
At that time, I got hit on the left side and went down the front seat of my car.
So which side of yours was down the seat?
My right side was down the seat.
Is that the side your gun is on?
Yes, it is.
What happened next?
At this time, I could feel him trying to pull my gun belt around as if trying to get my
gun out, trying to get my gun up.
And I said something to the face, he's getting my gun, he's getting my gun.
Did you say that over the radio?
Yes, sir.
How did you feel at that time?
Scared to death.
The prosecution introduces a tape recording of Officer Aldridge's pleas for help taken
from the dispatcher's radio.
33, 18, about 4th and Liberty, can I have your description?
33, 18, about 4th and Liberty, can I have your description?
Was that your voice?
Yes, sir.
Did you fear for your life?
Yes, sir, I did.
After you called in and said, he's trying to get my gun, what's the next thing you remember?
I was in Baptist, I was in Baptist Hospital.
Baptist Hospital?
Yes.
Did you know that the truck was stolen that night?
No, sir, I did not.
Were you going to arrest the defendant?
No, sir.
Did you ever tell him that you were going to arrest him?
No, sir.
Officer Aldridge, did you do anything whatsoever?