ORLANDO, Fla. – The jury began deliberations Friday in the murder trial of a man accused of going on a shooting spree at an Orlando office building in 2009.
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Jason Rodriguez is charged with first-degree murder in the shooting death of 26-year-old Otis Bekford and five counts of attempted murder for wounding others.
Prosecutors claim Rodriguez went into the office of his former employer seeking revenge for his firing two years before the shooting.
His defense team claims Rodriguez suffers from paranoid schizophrenia, and he claims a voice in his head named "Sharptooth" egged him on to commit the crime.
Earlier this week, Orange County Judge Belvin Perry ordered a new mental examination for Rodriguez after exhaustive testimony covering his diagnosis of paranoid schizophrenia. Perry agreed to have a psychiatrist assess Rodriguez before testimony continued Thursday morning, but Rodriguez was found competent and testimony continued.
In closing arguments on Friday, the prosecution tied to prove that Rodriguez knew what he was doing at the time of the shooting, while his defense team said he was living in an alternate world.
Friday afternoon, the jury requested surveillance video to view that presented during the course of the trial.
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