What are the charges against Michael Keetley? Florida ice-cream man found guilty in murder retrial

A former Florida ice cream truck driver, Michael Keetley, is on trial for a second time for a double murder. This is after the initial proceedings, held in 2020, reportedly ended in a mistrial when the jurors were unable to reach a unanimous verdict.

Michael Keetley was found guilty of two counts of murder and four counts of attempted first-degree murder for killing two people and injuring four others on Thanksgiving Day 2010. The verdict was passed on Monday, March 27, 2023, after thirteen hours of deliberation by a jury.

Keetley, who spent 13 years in prison, has reportedly been in jail since his arrest in 2010 and faces life in prison without the possibility of parole.

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Michael Keetley was reportedly shot and robbed of $12 by two gunmen while on an ice cream route

Michael Keetley is accused of killing two brothers, Juan Guitron, 28, and Sergio Guitron, 22, in a revenge rampage after an earlier shooting incident left him disabled and unable to work.

Based on multiple reports, it was noted that eleven months before the massacre, Keetley was left disabled after he was shot and robbed of $12 by two gunmen while on an ice cream route.

During the trial, prosecutors argued that on the night of the killing, Keetley, dressed as a police officer, arrived at the victim's residence on November 25, 2010, as he believed that his assailant - whom he had dubbed “the Creeper” - was among the six people sitting on a porch outside the Ruskin home.

Prosecutors said that shortly after, Keetley opened fire, seeking revenge on a man he identified as “Creeper,” who he believed was responsible for the attack that left him disabled months earlier after he was shot in the hand, arm, chest, and leg.

In closing arguments last week, Assistant State Attorney Michelle Doherty told jurors:

“He started shooting them one by one by one. They were unarmed, they did what he wanted and he shot them anyway.”

During the trial, prosecutors presented witnesses, including the survivors who recalled the incident and told the jurors that on the night of the murder, Keetley, dressed as a law enforcement officer, approached the residence and asked for a man named “Creeper “ before opening fire on the scene.

Keetley's ex-girlfriend also testified, saying the former ice cream truck man was obsessed with finding the person who robbed and shot him in 2010.

Meanwhile, Michael Keetley denied any involvement in the double murder. During the trial, the defense argued Keetley’s injuries, sustained during the robbery months earlier, prevented him from wielding a weapon.

As previously reported, defense attorney John Grant argued that after the robbery, Keetley had to undergo multiple surgeries that left him with significant nerve damage, preventing him from gripping objects or even a gun.

As per Bay News, the four victims who were wounded but survived the attack were identified as Daniel Beltran, Gonzalo Guevara, Ramon Galan Jr., and Richard Cantu.