Overview
- Opening statements began in Sarasota County as the judge briefly excused the jury when Dima Tower broke down in court.
- The defense asked jurors to reject premeditation and to consider a manslaughter verdict instead of first-degree murder.
- A neighbor’s 911 call led officers to a bloodied North Port home where Robbie and Jennifer Tower were found lying head-to-head, according to a probable cause affidavit.
- Investigators say the suspect fled the scene before being stopped with tire-deflation devices and taken into custody.
- Records detail years of prior police contacts, including a 2020 domestic-violence arrest later dismissed and a declined request for an involuntary mental-health hold, while no clear motive has been identified.