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A former Florida ice cream truck driver, Michael Keetley, is on trial for the second time for allegedly killing two people and injuring four others on Thanksgiving Day 2010. The first trial, which was held in 2020 after Michael Keetley spent more than ten years in the Falkenburg Road Jail, reportedly ended in a mistrial after the jurors were unable to reach a verdict.
As per Newsweek, Michael Keetley is accused of killing two brothers, Juan Guitron, 28, and Sergio Guitron, 22, in a revenge rampage. Based on multiple reports, it was noted that eleven months before the incident, Keetley was left disabled after he was shot and robbed of $12 by two gunmen while on an ice cream route.
Authorities said that Keetley arrived at the victim's residence on November 25, 2010, 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.
Fox News reported that on Thursday, March 16, 2023, prosecutors revealed the identity of the "Creeper" as Omar Bailon. Prosecutors said that for months, Keetley pursued Bailon as a suspect. However, according to authorities, the latter had no connection to the robbery.
Michael Keetley asked for a man named "Creeper," aka Omar Bailon, before the shooting spree
As per Fox News, prosecutors in the new trial alleged that on November 25, 2010, Michael Keetley, on a revenge rampage, ambushed six people sitting on a porch outside a Ruskin residence, killing two brothers and injuring four others.
The publication reported that during the trial, the survivors recalled the incident and told the jurors that on the night of the murder, Keetley, dressed as a law enforcement officer, approached the residence. He then asked for a man named “Creeper “ before opening fire on the scene.
The survivors of the incident, who identified the shooter, told authorities that before they were shot, Keetley forced them onto the ground and asked for their identification.
Outlining a potential motive for the crime, prosecutors alleged that Keetley, who was frustrated by the delay in the police investigation, decided to act on his own and seek revenge for the attack that left him disabled. Prosecutors added that on the night of the murder, Keetley believed that his attacker, "Creeper," was among the people he attacked. However, authorities testified that Keetley's victims were not involved in the shooting that disabled the suspect.
Moreover, Keetley's ex-girlfriend testified during the trial, saying the former ice cream truck man was obsessed with finding the person who robbed and shot him in 2010.
Meanwhile, Keetley denied any involvement in the double murder and mass shooting. During the trial, the defense argued Keetley’s injuries, sustained during the robbery months earlier, prevented him from wielding a weapon.
They added that after the robbery, Keetley had to undergo multiple surgeries that left him with significant nerve damage preventing him from gripping objects. Defending his client, defense attorney John Grant said:
"Michael Keetley is not guilty because he did not do it. He did not do it, because he could not do it."
Michael Keetley, who was charged with two counts of first-degree murder and four counts of attempted murder after his arrest in 2010, faces life in prison without the possibility of parole if convicted.
