Jury says Ocala man guilty of manslaughter in death of 63-year-old resident in 2018, jury says
Outside the courtroom on Friday, the families of Isaiah Wilshaun Maeweathers and Melvin Bea Thompkins hugged each other, with some choking back tears.
Minutes earlier, the families, who sat opposite each other inside the courtroom, listened when the clerk announced jurors had decided that Maeweathers was guilty of manslaughter in Thompkins' death. The charge was a lesser option to the one prosecutors had lodged: second-degree murder.
Before sentencing, both families spoke on behalf of their loved one.
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Comments before sentencing
Facing the Thompkins family while at the podium, one of Maeweathers' sisters told the victim's family: "I'm deeply, deeply sorry." To her brother, she told him, "we love you."
Thompkins' brother told Maeweathers, who sat at the defense table, that the death has affected their family. He said they could live with the manslaughter conviction.
He told Maeweathers, a convicted felon, that when he's released from prison, he hopes he "redeems" himself and will pray for him. He thanked Maeweathers' family for their condolences.
Attorney A. Antonio Tomas asked Circuit Judge Peter Brigham, who presided over the two-day trial, which began Thursday, to have mercy on his client. Calling Thompkins' death "a terrible incident," he asked the judge to give Maeweathers, of Ocala, a lesser sentence.
Assistant State Attorney Janine Nixon told the judge that Maeweathers deserves "every day of 15 years," which was the maximum time allowed, considering the way Thompkins was killed.
The judge asked Maeweathers if he wanted to say anything, but he declined. Brigham sentenced him to a 15-year prison term.
Maeweathers has 1,096 days of credit for time already served at the Marion County Jail while awaiting resolution of this case.
If Maeweather had been found guilty of second-degree murder, he would have faced life in prison.
Closing arguments
Tomas argued in his closing remarks to the jurors that they should not find Maeweathers guilty if they don't know what happened.
The lawyer said the victim is dead and a piece of wood found on the man's body was likely the murder weapon. However, his client had no reason to kill the man and there's no scientific evidence proving without a doubt that he's the killer.
He said deputies had other suspects and there were too many unanswered questions concerning the time between the victim's disappearance and when his body was discovered.
The lawyer said his client wasn't arrested until roughly a year after the death, which shows the case against Maeweathers was not airtight.
But Nixon told jurors that it takes time for DNA evidence to be evaluated. And in this case, the test results showed the defendant had a role in the victim's death.
The prosecutor further noted that the keys to the victim's residence were found in Maeweather's possession. She also said Maeweathers had Thompkins' car, was untruthful about how he got the vehicle, claimed the car was his, and gave sheriff's deputies a false name.
Nixon's theory is that Maeweathers was angry Thompkins reported to Maeweathers' aunt that Maeweathers was at a rooming house that she operated. The police were called and the woman arranged for a trespass order to be lodged against Maeweathers.
The defense countered that Maeweathers would've been upset with his aunt, if anyone, not Thompkins.
Thompkins' killing
Thompkins' body was discovered in a grassy area off a sandy road in the 5300 block of Northwest 17th Street in the Ocala Ridge subdivision on Dec. 29, 2018. The last time anyone had seen Thompkins was on Dec. 22.
The 63-year-old man's body was decomposing, burned, partially clothed, and there was a large piece of wood on top of him.
It appears animals and insects had eaten parts of Thompkins' charred remains. Graphic pictures of the scene were shown to jurors.
An autopsy showed he had multiple skull fractures and a broken lower jaw.
Maeweathers was taken into custody in September 2019 after DNA evidence linked him to the murder.
Testimony at trial
Testimony presented in court for the prosecution showed authorities were able to track Thompkins' cellphone to an Ocala residence where they found Maeweathers.
Sheriff's deputies said when they talked with Maeweathers, he gave them a fake name and different explanations on how he got Thompkins' vehicle. At the residence, deputies said they found pieces of furniture similar to the wood recovered from the crime scene.
The medical examiner was questioned about pinpointing an exact day or time of death. The doctor said the notion that such exact reporting can be provided was a Hollywood myth.
Nixon wrapped up her presentation Friday morning. The defense moved to dismiss the case, saying evidence against Maeweathers was circumstantial and there was no direct link showing he had anything to do with Thompkins' death. The judge denied the defense request.
The defense rested its case. Maeweathers did not testify.
The jury
The trial ran the risk of not finishing when two of the eight jurors were let go for separate reasons.
On Thursday, the judge dismissed a juror when she told the court she was unable to change an already planned trip from Friday to another day.
Later that day, a male juror had to be excused when the judge saw him sleeping during testimony. A bailiff had to wake the man when he didn't respond to his name being called several times by the judge.
He apologized to the judge. He said he had been working all night and had to come to court for jury duty.
The remaining six jurors were left to decide the case.
Contact Austin L. Miller at austin.miller@starbanner.com or @almillerosb
This article originally appeared on Ocala Star-Banner: Florida man guilty of manslaughter in death of 63-year-old
