Accused Grove 16 shooter Curtis Reeves, Jr., appears at his first court appearance following the January 13 incident. Reeves was again denied bond on February 7.
Accused Grove 16 shooter Curtis Reeves, Jr., appears at his first court appearance following the January 13 incident. Reeves was again denied bond on February 7, but has appealed that decision.

By Matt Wiley

The State Attorney’s Office (SAO) officially is recommending that an appeal for bail submitted by accused Grove 16 movie theater shooter and former Tampa cop Curtis Reeves, Jr., should be denied by a Florida appeals court.

More than two months after a circuit judge denied him bail for fatally shooting a man in a Wesley Chapel movie theater, court records show that Reeves’ attorney Frances Martinez filed a Criminal Habeus Corpus Petition in the Second District Court of Appeals on April 21, to release Reeves, 71, on his own recognizance or set a reasonable bond amount.

“When a person accused of a capital offense or an offense punishable by life imprisonment seeks release on bail, it is within the discretion of the court to grant or deny bail when the proof of guilt is evident or the presumption great,” wrote assistant state attorney John M. Klawikofsky in a 23-page response on May 13 that detailed the testimony and evidence presented during Reeves’ pre-trial hearing. “Based upon the foregoing reasons, arguments, and citations of authority, the instant Petition for Writ of Habeas Corpus should be denied.”

Reeves originally was denied bond on February 7 by Pasco Circuit Judge Pat Siracusa, who said that although it was not a verdict, he was not granting bail to the accused Grove 16 Theater shooter, who is charged with second degree murder and aggravated battery.

Reeves pled not guilty to the charges of the murder of Chad Oulson, 43, of Land O’Lakes, who was texting his daughter’s babysitter before a matinee showing of “Lone Survivor.” Oulson was seeing the movie with his wife, Nichole.

Reeves reportedly asked Oulson to stop texting repeatedly and even informed theater management. Surveillance video from the scene of the crime shows Oulson standing up and turning around before Reeves pulled out a .380 handgun and shot him. The bullet also grazed Nichole Oulson’s finger. Reeves claims that he shot Oulson in self-defense.

You can check for updates about Reeves’ trial, which is set to begin on July 9, at NTNeighborhoodNews.com.

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