For the second time in less than three weeks, a South Florida man has been found not guilty of domestic violence-related charges. NBC6’s Kim Wynne reports
For the second time in less than three weeks, a South Florida man has been found not guilty of domestic violence-related charges.
Gayle Blount, 55, was acquitted by a Broward County jury Wednesday on charges that he pushed his ex-girlfriend, Bridget Knighton, into a table at a restaurant in 2021. Last month, a Miami jury found him not guilty after he shot his Knighton five times, claiming self-defense.
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WATCH HERE"I can’t even say I’m shocked," Knighton said.
Blount was found not guilty of battery after police said he pushed Knighton into a table at a restaurant in February 2021.
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"I’m afraid for my life. That hasn’t changed," Knighton said.
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Blount recorded cellphone video of the incident, showing Knighton standing over him as they argued for about eight or nine minutes. He then gets up and pushes her into a table.
"We showed it to the jury – after they heard what she said, they chose to acquit him," said Blount's attorney, Jonathan Jordan.
This is the second time Blount has been found not guilty of domestic violence-related charges in less than a month.
On Feb. 14, Blount was acquitted on attempted murder charges, claiming self-defense after he shot Knighton five times in May 2021. Blount told jurors he believed she was reaching for a gun.
Blount has been in jail for the past four years, and with Wednesday’s acquittal, will be released and able to go back home.
"He spent four years in custody, battling two different cases in two different counties and it took that long to prove his innocence," Jordan said. "The next step is freedom for him."
Freedom that Knighton says makes her feel unsafe as she claims she was abused multiple times throughout the relationship.
Despite the second acquittal, she says won’t stop pursuing justice.
"I’m going to be relentless in my pursuit of justice. It’s not over. It’s not over," she said.
Blount is expected to be released early Thursday morning.
