Nicholas Lindsey

Last updated
Nicholas Lindsey
Nick Lindsey DOC.jpg
DOC mugshot
Born (1995-01-18) January 18, 1995 (age 28)
Criminal statusIncarcerated at the Blackwater Correctional Facility
Parent(s)Nicholas Lindsey, Sr., Deneen Sweat
Conviction(s) First degree murder
Criminal penalty Life imprisonment

Nicholas Lindsey (born January 18, 1995) is a Florida man convicted of murder in the first degree of a law enforcement officer from the St. Petersburg Police Department.

Contents

Background

According to records, Lindsey has a prior record for non-violent crimes such as grand theft and trespassing. [1]

Although he attended school on the day of the shooting, he had missed 40 days during the school year. Gibbs High School former principal Kevin Gordon spoke with Lindsey about cutting class. The principal and his reading intervention teacher said the teenaged suspect always complied with authority. One teacher, Karen Morse, stated that he was a typical teen who would "strive for that teacher attention to do his best." Off campus, Lindsey appeared to be a different person. Lindsey's Facebook page showed he had a gang name.

St. Petersburg mayor Bill Foster recognized Lindsey when he saw the mugshot. He met with the teen inside his home during a 2010 Outreach the Community event. It was after his first arrest for grand theft. Foster said that the teen impressed him the most and had a goal to succeed in life. Foster went on to say he wanted Lindsey tried as an adult. [2]

Murder of Officer David Crawford

On February 21, 2011, officer David Crawford, 46, was responding to a call of a suspicious person near Tropicana Field late that night. The caller stated that a man was holding a brick in his back yard then jumped the fence. The caller thought he might be a burglar. Officer Crawford arrived to the area and spotted the person then got out of his vehicle. At 10:37 p.m., Donald J. Ziglar, a fellow officer, noticed and reported an exchange of gunfire. Ziglar found Crawford lying near his cruiser, police stated. He was shot multiple times at close range after reaching for a notepad. More than 200 officers from different agencies across Tampa Bay poured into the city to take part in the massive manhunt for the suspect. [3]

Capture

The manhunt came to an end the night of February 22, 2011. Upon receiving tips from the community, police raided a home and arrested 16-year-old Nicholas Lindsey. Lindsey originally offered different accounts of the events, but eventually admitted information that conformed with the evidence police had already gathered, said St. Petersburg Police Chief Chuck Harmon. Police also stated that "he broke down and cried" and that Lindsey admitted to throwing the gun in a nearby creek. He was booked into the Pinellas Juvenile Assessment Center. [4] [5] [6]

Lindsey's mother, Deneen Sweat told the St. Petersburg Times she suspected her son may have been involved in the shooting after she heard the description of the suspect. "I told my son, man up and tell what happened." Deneen Sweat told WFTS. Sweat was with her son when he confessed to police. [7]

Public response

Questions were asked about how a 16-year-old could obtain a gun emerged as well as the need for Nicholas Lindsey to be tried as an adult. Law enforcement took the death exceptionally hard. Crawford was described as a family man who loved horses, people and enjoyed working the night shift. He left behind a wife and a 24-year-old daughter. [4]

My thoughts and prayers remain with the family and loved-ones of Officer Crawford during this extremely difficult time. I am hopeful that they might find some relief knowing that a suspect has been identified and is behind bars. [4]

Florida governor Rick Scott

It added to an already grief-stricken community. Two St. Petersburg officers died and a U.S. marshal was wounded on January 24, 2011, in a gunfight with Hydra Lacy, the brother of local boxer Jeff Lacy. The shooter in that case was also killed. [8] St. Petersburg Mayor Bill Foster told HLN that the city will do more to teach young people that the consequences of a "bad decision" will last a lifetime. [4]

No one prepares the city for the devastating losses we've seen this month. We're holding together with a lot of prayer, faith ... and dependence on each other. [4]

St. Petersburg Mayor Bill Foster

Officer Crawford was laid to rest in a locally televised ceremony on March 1. About 10,000 people, inside and outside of the church, attended. [9]

Official indictment and trial

On March 7, 2011, Lindsey was indicted by a grand jury on a murder in the first degree charge. He was moved to the Pinellas County Jail where he was housed with other juveniles facing adult charges. Under Florida law juveniles awaiting trial cannot be in sight or sound of the adult population. [10] [11]

Trial was set for December 12, 2011, but was later moved to March 19, 2012. Convicted of the murder, Lindsey would likely spend the rest of his life in state prison because of Florida's Law Enforcement Protection Act. [12] [13] [14] [15] He could not be sentenced to death per a 2005 U.S. Supreme Court ruling that prohibits people from being executed for crimes committed while under 18.

On December 2, 2011, judge Thane Covert ruled that Lindsey's taped confession would be admissible at trial citing that the manner in which the police officers obtained the confession was credible. Lindsey, with his parents in the interview room, had confessed to police that he killed Mr. Crawford. The defense argued that Lindsey's parents urged their son to confess by suggesting that he may receive leniency if he did. Covert also granted a motion for another trial date as defense attorney Frank McDermott stated that he would not be able to be prepared in such a short amount of time. Trial was removed from the December 12 date and replaced with a pretrial hearing. Covert said he will schedule pretrial hearings every three weeks which is something he typically does when a case of his moves slowly. [16]

On December 12, 2011, Covert set the trial for March 19, 2012. [17]

Jury selection began on March 19, 2012, with testimony beginning the next day. Lindsey's defense team's strategy was to convince the jury that manslaughter took place. They portrayed Lindsey as a scared youth, while prosecutors, including Pinellas-Pasco state attorney Bernie McCabe, portrayed this as an intentional murder of a law enforcement officer by mentioning the fact that he shot Crawford five times and did not miss a bullet. On March 23, Lindsey was convicted of Crawford's murder and sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. [18]

In October 2013, Lindsey's life sentence was upheld in court after an appeal. [19]

Lindsay's results on IQ tests ranged from 77 to 86. [20]

On January 20, 2017, Lindsey's attorneys requested for his sentence to be reduced to 40 years. [21] However, on January 27, 2017, Lindsey's life sentence was again upheld and the judge stated that the sentence would be reviewed in 2036, after 25 years served. [22] [23] Lindsey is currently imprisoned in the Blackwater River Correctional Facility. [24]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pinellas Park, Florida</span> City in Florida, United States

Pinellas Park is a city located in central Pinellas County, United States. The population was 53,093 at the 2020 census. The city is the fourth largest city in Pinellas County. The city was incorporated in 1914.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mike Diana</span> The first cartoonist to be convicted of obscenity in the United States.

Michael Christopher Diana is an American underground cartoonist. His work, which is largely self-published, deals with themes including sexuality, violence, and religion. He is the first person to receive a criminal conviction in the United States for artistic obscenity for his comic Boiled Angel.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oba Chandler</span> American serial killer (1946–2011)

Oba Chandler was an American serial killer and mass murderer who was convicted and executed for the June 1989 murders of Joan Rogers and her two daughters, whose bodies were found floating in Tampa Bay, Florida, with their hands and feet bound. Autopsies showed the victims had been thrown into the water while still alive, with ropes tied to a concrete block around their necks. The case became high-profile in 1992 when local police posted billboards bearing enlarged images of the suspect's handwriting recovered from a pamphlet in the victims' car. Chandler was identified as the killer when his neighbor recognized the handwriting.

Ronnie Antonio Paris was an American three-year-old boy from Tampa, Florida, who was murdered in 2005. Paris was subject to severe physical abuse at the hands of his father, Ronnie Paris Sr., who was convinced he was homosexual despite his young age, and was forced to box repeatedly, eventually entering a coma and dying from brain injuries. His death brought attention to the Florida Department of Children & Families for failing to identify the child abuse and neglect. Controversy arose over Paris being removed from his home and placed in to foster care, only to be returned, and died within six weeks from continued abuse. Ronnie Paris Sr. was convicted of manslaughter and sentenced to 30-years in prison.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brenton Butler case</span> Murder case in Jacksonville, Florida

The Brenton Butler case was a murder case in Jacksonville, Florida. During the investigation of a shooting death outside a motel in 2000, police arrested 15-year-old Brenton Butler and charged him with the murder. Butler subsequently confessed to the crime, and the case went to trial. However, during the trial he testified that he had been brutalized into his confession, and he was acquitted. The case gained significant notice in the media, and became the subject of an award-winning documentary, Murder on a Sunday Morning.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St. Petersburg Police Department</span> Police department of St. Petersburg, Florida, United States

The St Petersburg Police Department (SPPD) provides crime prevention and public safety services for the city of St. Petersburg, Florida. The department was created in 1903. The St. Petersburg Police Department has an authorized strength of 550 sworn officers and 212 civilian support staff. The department serves the fifth largest city in the state of Florida, with a population of 250,000. The St. Petersburg Police Department is one of over 1,000 law enforcement agencies in the United States accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Law Enforcement Agencies (CALEA). Anthony Holloway is the chief of police.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2009 Lakewood shooting</span> 2009 murder of four Lakewood police officers in Parkland, Washington, USA

On November 29, 2009, four police officers of Lakewood, Washington were fatally shot at the Forza Coffee shop, located at 11401 Steele Street #108 South in the Parkland unincorporated area of Pierce County, Washington, near Tacoma. A gunman, later identified as Maurice Clemmons, entered the shop, shot the officers while they worked on laptops, and fled the scene with a single gunshot wound in his torso. After a massive two-day manhunt that spanned several nearby cities, an officer recognized Clemmons near a stalled car in south Seattle. When he refused orders to stop, he was shot and killed by a Seattle Police Department officer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Martin Grossman</span> American murderer (1965–2010)

Martin Edward Grossman was convicted of first degree murder for his part in the December 13, 1984, Florida killing of wildlife officer Peggy Park. He was executed by lethal injection. In the days before his execution, there were a large number of appeals for clemency, ranging from petitions to pleas, as well as a request to halt the execution from Pope Benedict XVI. Grossman, a Jewish American, received strong support from national and international Jewish organizations for his death sentence to be commuted.

Sandra Lee "Sandee" Rozzo was a Pinellas Park, Florida, bartender who was shot to death in her driveway on July 5, 2003. Her abuser, Timothy "Tracey" Humphrey, and his wife Ashley Laney Humphrey, were convicted of her murder.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rachel Wade</span> American murderer (born 1990)

Rachel Marie Wade is an American woman who was convicted of murder in the second degree in the 2009 murder of Sarah Ludemann in Pinellas Park, Florida.

Linda Drane Burdick was the Chief Assistant State Attorney at the Orange and Osceola County State Attorney's Office in Orlando, Florida. She was the lead prosecutor on the State of Florida vs. Casey Anthony case.

On Tuesday, November 12, 1914, John Evans, a black man, was lynched in St. Petersburg, Florida, United States, by a mob of 1,500 white men, women and children. Evans was accused of the murder of Edward Sherman, a white real estate developer, and the attack of Sherman's wife, Mary. After word of the attack spread, and Mary Sherman claimed her attackers were "two negroes," a citywide search ensued. Suspicions immediately led to John Evans. Two days after the murder, a posse consisting of some of the city's most prominent and well-respected members stormed the St. Petersburg jail, threw a noose around Evans' neck and marched him to his death. He was never given a fair trial. Evans was hanged from a light post on the corner of Ninth Street South and Second Avenue. At first, he kept himself alive by wrapping his legs around the light pole. An unidentified white woman in a nearby automobile ended his struggle with a single bullet. Though the shot was fatal, the rest of the crowd began shooting at Evans' dangling body until their ammunition was depleted.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2014 Florida's 13th congressional district special election</span>

A special election for Florida's 13th congressional district was held March 11, 2014, to elect a member of the United States House of Representatives, following the death of incumbent Republican Congressman Bill Young on October 18, 2013. Primary elections were held on January 14, 2014. Young, who had already announced that he would not be running for re-election in 2014, was re-elected in 2012 with 57 percent of the vote. With 100% of the precincts reporting, David Jolly was declared the winner.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Killing of Markeis McGlockton</span> 2018 manslaughter in Clearwater, Florida

On July 19, 2018, Markeis McGlockton, 28, was fatally shot by Michael Drejka at a parking lot outside a local convenience store in Clearwater, Florida, United States. Shortly before the shooting, Drejka approached McGlockton's car and began to confront McGlockton's girlfriend for parking in a disabled parking space without a placard. McGlockton came out of the store and shoved Drejka to the ground. At this point, Drejka drew his handgun and McGlockton began to back away. Five seconds after Drejka hit the ground, he shot McGlockton once. McGlockton later died from his injuries at a local hospital. He was unarmed at the time he was shot.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jennifer Mee</span> Hiccup girl and convicted murderer

Jennifer Ann Mee is a convicted American murderer known as the "Hiccup Girl" for her long-lasting case of the hiccups. Mee appeared on national American television shows such as NBC's Today Show many times. Mee was arrested for first-degree murder in 2010. After a trial she was convicted and sentenced to life in prison without parole in 2013. M. William Phelps wrote a book about her that was published in 2016. Her transmutation from "media darling" to convicted murderer attracted renewed national attention.

On June 2, 2020, David Dorn, a 77-year-old retired police captain, was fatally shot after interrupting the burglary of a pawn shop in The Ville, St. Louis. The incident occurred on the same night as riots in St. Louis, Missouri over the murder of George Floyd. Stephan Cannon, who was 24 years old at the time of the incident, was convicted of his murder on July 20, 2022.

References

  1. Landeros, Phil (February 23, 2011). "Police arrest 16-year-old suspect in officer shooting". WTSP. Retrieved 2017-01-11.
  2. Tataris, Anna (February 23, 2011). "Classmates and teachers of accused teen gunman describe him as 'quiet'". CF News. Archived from the original on June 5, 2011. Retrieved 2017-01-10.
  3. Leibowitz, Barry (February 22, 2011). "St. Petersburg police officer David Crawford shot dead, city's third cop killed in weeks". CBS. Archived from the original on 2012-11-04. Retrieved 2017-01-10.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 Staff (February 23, 2011). "Police: Teen confesses to fatal shooting of St. Petersburg officer". CNN. Archived from the original on January 20, 2012. Retrieved 2017-01-10.
  5. Thalji, Jamal; Krueger, Curtis; Nipps, Emily; Stanley, Kameel (February 22, 2011). "Suspect arrested in slaying of St. Petersburg police Officer David Crawford". St. Petersburg Times. Archived from the original on October 15, 2012. Retrieved 2017-01-10.
  6. "Teen accused of killing officer held without bail". MSNBC. February 23, 2011. Archived from the original on 2023-11-09. Retrieved 2017-01-11 via Associated Press.
  7. Hopper, Jessica (February 23, 2011). "Father of Florida Teen Issues Tearful Apology for Son's Alleged Killing of Police Officer". ABC News. Archived from the original on 2017-01-13. Retrieved 2017-01-10.
  8. Staff (January 10, 2011). "2 officers killed, man found dead after shootout inside Florida home". CNN. Archived from the original on January 27, 2011. Retrieved 2017-01-10.
  9. Lanning, Jason (March 1, 2011). "Officers honor one of their own again". Bay News 9. Archived from the original on March 4, 2011. Retrieved 2017-01-10.
  10. Gregory, Holly (March 7, 2011). "Grand jury indicts Nicholas Lindsey in officer shooting". Bay News 9. Archived from the original on September 4, 2011. Retrieved 2017-01-10.
  11. "Teen to be tried as adult in officer's shooting". Fox News. March 7, 2011. Archived from the original on 2015-06-13. Retrieved 2017-01-10 via Associated Press.
  12. "Florida Law Enforcement Protection Act - Statute 782.065". leg.state.fl.us. Florida Legislature. Archived from the original on 2017-01-13. Retrieved 2017-01-10.
  13. "Accused cop killer appears in court Tuesday". Bay News 9. June 28, 2011. Archived from the original on August 4, 2011. Retrieved 2017-01-10.
  14. Gregory, Holly. "December trial date for suspected St. Pete cop killer Nicholas Lindsey". CF News. Retrieved 2017-01-10.[ dead link ]
  15. "Florida Statute on murder of a LEO". leg.state.fl.us. Florida Legislation. Archived from the original on 2017-01-13. Retrieved 2017-01-10.
  16. Krueger, Curtis (December 3, 2011). "Lindsey's confession can be used at murder trial". St. Petersburg Times. Archived from the original on February 8, 2012. Retrieved 2017-01-10.
  17. Krueger, Curtis (December 12, 2011). "Teen's trial set for March in police officer killing". St. Petersburg Times. Archived from the original on March 7, 2016. Retrieved 2017-01-10.
  18. Krueger, Curtis; Thalji, Jamal (March 24, 2012). "Lindsey verdict: Guilty of first-degree murder". Tampa Bay Times. Archived from the original on March 26, 2012. Retrieved 2017-01-10.
  19. Burrage, Gregg (October 11, 2013). "Life sentence upheld for Nicholas Lindsey, convicted of shooting St. Petersburg police officer". ABC. Archived from the original on February 16, 2014. Retrieved 2017-01-10.
  20. "The Tampa Tribune 24 Sep 2013, page 16". Newspapers.com. Retrieved 2023-11-21.
  21. Pittman, Craig; McNeill, Claire. "Nicholas Lindsey, sentenced to life for killing copy, loses bid for shorter sentence". The Ledger. Archived from the original on 2017-02-02. Retrieved 2017-01-28.
  22. Staff (January 27, 2017). "St. Pete cop killer's life sentence confirmed". WTSP. Retrieved 2017-01-28.
  23. Morel, Laura (January 27, 2017). "Nicholas Lindsey, killer of St. Petersburg police officer, again sentenced to life in prison". Tampa Bay Times. Archived from the original on 2017-01-27. Retrieved 2017-01-28.
  24. "Inmate Population Information Detail". Archived from the original on 2023-11-09. Retrieved 2020-01-08.