Florida

Florida Man Sentenced to Life in Prison For Road Rage Case After Using ‘Stand Your Ground' Defense

A Florida man who sought to have a murder charge against him dropped based on the state's stand-your-ground law is heading to prison.

On Tuesday, a judge in Daytona Beach sentenced 64-year-old Robert Gelles to life in prison, saying he showed no remorse in the fatal shooting of 44-year-old Joseph Bailey III in September 2015.

A jury found Gelles guilty of second-degree murder on Oct. 20. He faced a minimum of 25 years in prison. But the Daytona Beach News-Journal reports Circuit Judge Terence Perkins handed down the life sentence. He said the shooting was neither justifiable or excusable.

Witnesses testified that Bailey and Gelles were driving as if they were involved in a road rage incident before the confrontation took place in Port Orange.

Copyright AP - Associated Press
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