New Tampa Man Didn't Know Right From Wrong: State Attorney

Tampa FL

05 March, 2021

8:27 PM

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NEW TAMPA, FL — Hillsborough County prosecutors say the man accused of intentionally driving his car into a New Tampa father bicycling with his two young sons in June 2018 is not guilty by reason of insanity. On Wednesday, prosecutors with the Hillsborough County State Attorney's Office told Judge Mark Kiser that they reached an agreement with the defense to allow Morse to be found not guilty Experts from both the state and the defense found that Morse "was not sane and could not tell right from wrong when he committed the crime," the state attorney's office told Patch. The verdict came after Mikese Morse underwent a series of mental health evaluations and hearings in which mental health experts testified about his condition during the past two years. Hillsborough County State Attorney Andrew Warren is seeking to have Morse committed to Florida State Hospital, which handles psychiatric cases. The judge has set a non-jury trial for April 15 where he will render his decision. "We expect the judge to hear from experts on Morse's mental health, rule on whether he is guilty, and make a decision as to Morse's commitment to a psychiatric facility at that time," Grayson Kamm, chief communications officer for the state attorney, said. Pedro Aguerreberry, 42, was taking a leisurely bike ride with his sons, Lucas, 8, and Bennett, 3, down New Tampa Boulevard just before noon on Sunday, June 24, 2018, when a car driven by Morse veered off the road and struck the bike riders. Pedro Aguerreberry took the brunt of the impact and died at the hospital. Bennett Aguerreberry was taken to the hospital with a leg fracture while his older brother was treated for minor injuries. Witnesses said they saw Morse make a U-turn in his 2008 Dodge Avenger, intentionally speed up and drive off the road onto a bike path along New Tampa Boulevard, deliberating striking the father and his two sons. Morse then left the scene. Police found Morse two blocks away at his parents' home in the Pebble Creek subdivision. Plastic was taped to the broken windshield and there was front-end damage to the car. Tampa police arrested Morse for premeditated first-degree murder and attempted first-degree murder in the death of Pedro Aguerreberry and injuries to his two sons. Police later learned that Morse had a history of mental illness and had been committed four times under the state's Baker Act. Just two weeks before the crash, Morse had walked into the lobby of the Tampa Police Station on 30th Street and told Officer Garrett Bricha that he did something "really bad." Morse didn't elaborate but Bricha said he showed signs of paranoia and spoke about being attacked by "energy projections" and rambling on about "conspiracies and religion." Bricha took him at his word and evoked the Baker Act. Morse was taken to the Gracepoint mental health facility in Tampa for assessment. A week later, on June 19, Morse was back on the streets. Five days after his release, he intentionally drove into Aguerreberry and his sons. In an interview, Morse' parents, Khadeeja and Michael Morse, said they repeatedly tried to get help for their son. "What happened to Pedro should never have happened," said Michael Morse. "If he had stayed two weeks (at Gracepoint) and gotten stabilized, this would never have happened." "For over a decade we tried to get help for our son," said Morse's mother, Khadeeja. Each time, she said, the system failed her son. The Morses said they first noticed their son's mental problems during his freshman year at the University of South Florida. He was later diagnosed with bipolar disorder and placed on medication. He went on to the University of Miami where he qualified as an All-American long jumper finalist for the U.S. Olympic Trials in track and field, nearly earning a spot on Team USA for the Beijing Games. But, in the two years before the crash, the Morses said their son's mental state deteriorated again. While they said he was never violent, his hallucinations grew more frequent and he was having an increasingly difficult time distinguishing between delusions and reality." "This case shows the consequences of Florida's broken mental health system, and the victim's wife and kids are left holding the pieces," Warren said in a statement to Patch. "The law is clear: you cannot convict a person who was so mentally unstable that he did not know right from wrong, so we are doing everything we can to get him committed to Florida State Hospital to make sure he never hurts anyone again." His words brought little comfort to Khadeeja Morse. "First, it only acknowledges one side of the equation," she said. "It is true, the Aguerryberry family experienced a horrific loss that never should have happened. However, they aren't the only ones who are left holding the pieces. "Far too often, families like ours, who have been desperately trying to support our severely mentally ill loved ones with very few external resources, are left holding the sharpest pieces of the broken mental health system," she said. "We are marginalized and vilified because of the undesirable behavior of our loved ones." Equally painful, she said, is the "continued vilification and dehumanization of Mikese." "Mikese wasn't a menace to society, a cold stone serial killer out hurting people before the tragedy. He was a mild-mannered, local high school graduate who was an academic and athletic standout and graduated from USF despite his declining mental state. He wasn't out bothering people before the incident. He was working a job, living independently, mostly keeping to himself while battling the demons of his severe mental illness." she said. When he reached a breaking point, she said her son did exactly what he was supposed to do: he went to the police and sought help. But help was nowhere to be found for her son. See related stories: New Tampa Father Dies In Sunday's CrashMan Found Competent To Stand Trial In 2018 Murder Case: ReportMurder Of New Tampa Father Met With Grief, Bewilderment