“Delvin Ford On Trial for Second-Degree Murder and Attempted Murder of Law Enforcement Officer in the Death of Marquis Golden”

Accident – death – Obituary News : **Not Long After Starting His Night Shift, Deputy Richard Curry Faces Life-or-death Situation in St. Petersburg**

Not long after starting his night shift one January evening, Deputy Richard Curry and his unit decided to grab a bite to eat at a local IHOP in St. Petersburg. Little did they know that their dinner would be interrupted by a call from their sergeant about a driver of a Lexus who had evaded two traffic stops in Clearwater.

The authorities were aware that the Lexus was registered to a house in St. Petersburg, just a short five-minute drive from where the deputies were having dinner. Acting swiftly, Curry was the first to arrive at the scene and set up a perimeter around the home.

Although the driver of the Lexus never showed up, an unexpected turn of events occurred moments after Curry parked in a nearby alley. He encountered a man who aimed an assault-style weapon at him. In self-defense, Curry shot and killed the man, according to authorities.

The man’s accomplice, Delvin Ford, managed to flee the scene but was later found by deputies in a sheriff’s office helicopter perched on a nearby rooftop with a handgun. Fast forward almost four years later, and Ford, now 26, is standing trial for second-degree murder and attempted murder of a law enforcement officer. Prosecutors argue that Ford is responsible for the death of Marquis Golden, the man shot and killed by Curry.

Under Florida law, a person can be charged with murder if it occurred while they committed certain serious felonies, even if they didn’t directly cause the death. In this case, prosecutors claim that Ford was committing attempted murder of a law enforcement officer at the time Golden was killed.

During the trial, Curry was portrayed as an officer facing a life-or-death situation who had no choice but to fire upon men pointing guns at him. However, Ford’s public defender, Jonathan Duncan, argued that the two men couldn’t have known that Curry was a deputy and that the incident was a result of confusion rather than an intentional attack on law enforcement.

The shooting took place on January 23, 2020, when one of the men approached Curry’s unmarked car, a Ford Focus rented by the sheriff’s office. Curry was parked in an alley across from a house on the 2200 block of 36th Street South in St. Petersburg, patiently waiting for the arrival of the Lexus.

Prosecutors presented pictures showing Curry wearing black pants and a black T-shirt with the sheriff’s office logo under a vest that read “sheriff” in all capital letters. The man tapped on Curry’s window and allegedly called him a “troll,” a slang term for law enforcement. However, Duncan later questioned Curry’s recollection of this interaction and whether the man recognized him as a deputy.

Moments later, Ford and Golden returned armed with guns, according to prosecutors. When one of them aimed a rifle at Curry, he sprang out of his car and fired his 9mm pistol 18 times. Golden fired an AR-15 semi-automatic rifle, while Ford fired a .40-caliber handgun at Curry, as stated by the sheriff’s office. Prosecutors claimed that fingerprints found on the weapons matched Ford and Golden.

Curry testified that he witnessed Golden dropping to the ground and crawling away. The guns used by the assailants were later discovered behind a red car parked outside the home. Curry shot Golden five times, and despite his efforts to administer CPR, Golden succumbed to his injuries.

With the assistance of a police dog and a sheriff’s office helicopter, authorities located Ford hiding on the roof of a nearby home, armed with a .40-caliber pistol. Throughout the trial, Ford’s lawyers attempted to cast doubt on whether Ford and Golden knew Curry was a deputy. They questioned the visibility of the word “sheriff” through the dark tinted windows and disputed whether Curry was wearing the vest at the time of the incident. However, Curry maintained that he was wearing the vest and did not attempt to conceal the word “sheriff” on it that night.

In addition, the state and defense clashed over the details of the initial encounter between Curry and the man who approached his vehicle. Duncan argued that there was no recording to confirm if Curry had been called a “troll.” He emphasized that Ford and Golden lived in a close-knit neighborhood and when they noticed an unfamiliar vehicle parked on their block, they felt the need to defend themselves. Duncan criticized Curry’s decision to open fire instead of attempting to drive away in his already-running car.

Curry testified that he believed getting out of the car and firing his weapon was not his only option, but it was the best option to ensure his safety. He expressed concern that staying put or trying to drive off would have resulted in the men opening fire on him.

Delvin Ford, dressed in a white dress shirt and gold tie, sat quietly at the defense table. He has been held without bond in a Pinellas County jail since his arrest four years ago. The trial is expected to continue through next week..