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Jurors Begin Deliberations in Fla. Charter Boat Killings
Sep 24, 2008A federal prosecutor says a 20-year-old man plotted with an Arkansas fugitive to hijack the "Joe Cool" charter fishing boat and fatally shot two of the four people killed on the high seas. Attorneys for Guillermo Zarabozo countered that the Hialeah man shot no one and was unwittingly lured onto the boat by a devious manipulator who promised exotic jobs with big money and possible CIA connections.
During closing arguments today, Assistant U.S. Attorney Karen Gilbert scoffed at Zarabozo's claims that he didn't know the violence was about to take place when the men boarded the vessel out of Miami last September. Zarabozo blamed 36-year-old Kirby Archer for the crimes, contending he was in the boat's bathroom when the four victims were shot.
She says the pair's goal was to take the boat to Cuba, where Archer could hide from Arkansas authorities investigating allegations that he had sexually molested children and stolen $92,000 from a Wal-Mart he managed. The boat ran out of fuel about 18 miles from Cuban waters.
Story: Searcy Radio Group