David Murdock guilty of first-degree murder in the shooting death of ex-girlfriend in 2019

A jury found David Marshall Murdock guilty of first-degree murder Tuesday for the 2019 killing of Lisa Bunce in Haines City.

The jury of 11 women and one man found Murdock guilty of the most serious charge against him after deliberating for about eight hours. They had begun deliberations Tuesday afternoon at the Bartow courthouse and then resumed on Wednesday morning.

Murdock, 65, of Lake Wales killed Bunce, 56, on Jan. 5, 2019, while she was in Haines City visiting her friend Sanda Andrews, 71, according to evidence at his trial. The best friends had often traveled back and forth like snowbirds from the Midwest to Florida and stayed at Andrews' place at 373 Melbourn Drive in the Sweetwater Golf and Tennis Community.

The prosecution presented evidence to show Murdock shot Bunce, his ex-girlfriend, with a 9-mm Glock handgun, after also wounding Andrews with a gunshot to the face as the women sat in the Florida room of Andrews’ home. Three 9-mm shell casings were found just outside the screened in porch of the home.

Bunce had fled from the front of the home and tried to hide in a master bedroom closet. But because she had also been wounded by one of the initial three bullets fired, she had left a trail of blood down a hallway and a door knob.

Murdock then entered an unlocked side door, followed the trail of blood down the hallway to find her and shot her two more times, evidence showed. One of those shots hit Bunce's vital internal organs after first passing through her arm and entering her chest. That bullet killed her within minutes and before first responders could arrive.

The jury also found Murdock guilty of three other charges, including a lesser charge of second-degree attempted murder for the shooting of Andrews as well as charges of armed burglary of a dwelling and shooting into a building. In the original indictment against Murdock, he had faced a first-degree attempted murder charge for the shooting of Andrews.

Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty for Murdock.

"We respect the jury's decision," defense attorney Debra Tuomey said after the verdict. "David Murdock is not beyond redemption, and we hope that his life is spared."

Premeditated or not?

Before beginning to deliberate on Tuesday, the jury had heard competing versions of what led up to the 2019 murder. The prosecution called the homicide premeditated murder, and the defense said several circumstances showed Murdock’s actions were not premeditated.

Defense Attorney Debra Toumey asked the jury to find Murdock not guilty of premeditated murder. She said premeditation is “a fully formed, conscious intent to kill someone.” And with that intent, a defendant would have to also have time for reflection.

“This is not a case of premeditated murder,” she said.

Nor is it felony murder, which would be a death that occurred during the commission of a felony, Tuomey said.

The circumstances do not add up to premeditation, she said. At age 60 at the time of the crime, her client was on the “last stretch of life” wanting what all Americans want, “a place to call home” to share with someone they love. 

Murdock sold a home he had when he met Bunce to buy another home with Bunce so Murdock and she could spend the rest of their lives together, Tuomey said.

“So that, I submit to you, is still true as I stand here today,” Tuomey said. 

“But I also submit to you that when the prosecutor wants you to believe that Mr. Murdock just drove up to Ms. Andrews residence and just got out of the truck and just started shooting, that makes absolutely no sense. The evidence does not support it and Ms. Andrews' testimony does not support it.”

Andrews and Bunce had returned from a bar, and Ms. Andrews was too close to being impaired by alcohol to drive, so Bunce drove the pair home the night of the shootings.

Murdock, who took the witness stand earlier in the trial, testified how Bunce acted when he saw her drinking alcohol during their relationship.

“When Mr. Murdock arrived at Ms. Andrews’ residence, there was an exchange,” Tuomey said. “There was yelling, there was screaming. Maybe it started out with a few comments. But it ended up with yelling and screaming.

“That is more reasonable to believe than Mr. Murdock getting outside of his truck and immediately starting shooting,” she said, adding that’s why shell casings were found closer to the house than his pickup truck.

Further, testimony from the defendant and Andrews showed that Murdock took his gun everywhere he went, she said. So he had not taken his gun to the house with any intention.

Tuomey said the prosecution's narrative that Murdock grabbed his gun, drove about 30 minutes to reach Andrews’ house all while thinking about killing Bunce and Andrews "doesn't make any sense."

She said the video the jury saw of Murdock being interviewed after his arrest shows his visible emotional trauma as investigators photographed him and swabbed his mouth and body for evidence.

Nor did he have to call 911 after the shootings, she said, asking: “He planned the murders, but he did not plan his escape?”

During the call, he said “emergency” twice, then told the call taker, “I just shot two people,” and repeated the address twice, Tuomey said. Murdock remained at the scene even though his truck was parked nearby.

Tuomey also said Murdock was taking medication because of the severe emotional distress from the issues he was going through with Bunce. A toxicologist had testified earlier in the trial that clonidine, which Murdock was taking, had two side effects on him: confusion and hallucinations.

“What we didn’t hear is that not only was he taking clonidine, this specific medication, but he was also taking other medications,” Tuomey said. “Who knows what the combination of those substances and the effects of those substances have on a 60-year-old man with one kidney.”

Tuomey also asked the jury to consider that Bunce “was toying with Mr. Murdock.” She did not put any money into the house that Murdock bought, but the house was in both of their names.

“Why didn’t she sign over the deed” once she broke off the engagement, Tuomey asked. “She could have just taken her name off the deed.”

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Murdock and Bunce had lived in the home for a brief period before Bunce told him she was moving back to Ohio and took his and her things with her, evidence showed. Murdock had expected to join her later, but Bunce texted him saying she was ending their relationship.

The Ohio resident further provoked Murdock by telling him she was going to “snowbird” at the house they owned together, Tuomey said.

“I submit to you that Mr. Murdock loved Lisa Bunce, as he testified on the stand, as I said in my opening statement,” Tuomey said. “He did not want her dead. He told you that. He did not want her dead.

“He also told you that he did not want any harm to come of Sanda Andrews,” she said.

“He also told you he didn’t remember the events of that night,” she said,

Tuomey added, “Was that the result of the medication, confusion, possible hallucinations. He did say he ‘had to get rid of the devil’ on that 911 call.”

Assistant State Attorney Bonde Johnson told the jury that Murdock’s “actions speak louder than words.”

“He was at the place,” Johnson said. “It was his gun. It was him. He keyed in the gate code. He drove his truck.”

Johnson also said the toxicology expert testified that if someone had taken all the medications the defense contends Murdock was prescribed, all the actions that led to the crimes could not have been possible. 

He said Murdock had made phone calls after midnight before he had arrived at Andrews' home and finally called 911 at 1:12 a.m. immediately after the shootings.

Death Penalty Phase

The trial will resume for a penalty phase on Tuesday. The jury could deliberate again by Wednesday on whether they recommend Murdock should be put to death for his crimes.

Medical Examiner Stephen Nelson, who also testified earlier in the trial, and victim impact statements are expected during the prosecution's case for a death penalty.

In court filings, the defense submitted a list of witnesses who could be called, including a psychiatrist and Murdock’s family members.

In Florida, a jury can recommend a death sentence by an 8-4 margin. By state law, the judge must then weigh the jury recommendation before imposing the sentence, which is usually handed down several months later.

This article originally appeared on The Ledger: David Murdock guilty of 1st-degree murder for killing ex-girlfriend