In the conclusion of a two-week trial, former Florida State University football player Travis Rudolph was found not guilty of murder by the jury on Wednesday. Rudolph had maintained throughout the trial that he took the life of one man and injured three others in self-defense. The jury deliberated for less than four hours before reaching their decision.
Rudolph, who briefly played in the NFL, had been facing charges of first-degree murder and attempted murder following a fatal shooting outside his Lake Park residence two years ago. The 12-member jury had the option to convict him of lesser offenses such as second-degree murder or manslaughter, but they rejected those possibilities as well.
Upon leaving the courthouse, Rudolph was seen smiling and even took a selfie with a supporter. A passing driver honked and enthusiastically called out his name from an open car window.
The charges against Rudolph stemmed from an incident on April 7, 2021, when four men arrived at his doorstep after midnight to confront him regarding a dispute he had earlier with his girlfriend. According to Rudolph, the situation turned violent, prompting him to arm himself with a semi-automatic rifle.
Prosecutors argued that the men were attempting to flee in a black Cadillac when Rudolph fired 39 shots in their direction, resulting in the death of Sebastien Jean-Jacques, who was seated in the passenger seat, and the injury of Tyler Robinson, a friend of Jean-Jacques, who was in the back of the car.
In a previous attempt to have the case dismissed, Rudolph invoked Florida’s “Stand Your Ground” law, which permits the use of deadly force when faced with the threat of death or significant bodily harm.
However, the request was denied by Circuit Judge Jeffrey Gillen, leaving the jury to determine whether Rudolph took Jean-Jacques’ life to protect his own.
The jury had the option to convict Rudolph of lesser offenses, including second-degree murder and manslaughter, but ultimately acquitted him of all charges.
At approximately 2:15 p.m., the jury delivered a verdict of “not guilty” on all counts.
Earlier, at noon, the jury foreman had written a note to Judge Gillen requesting to review footage from the Ring doorbell camera that had captured an argument between Rudolph and his then-girlfriend, Dominique Jones.
The requested videos, including the footage of Jones’ brother and his three friends arriving at Rudolph’s home hours later, as well as body-camera recordings from the responding deputies during the frantic 911 call, were queued up by the attorneys for the jury to review again.
