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Florida v Franklin Tyrone Tucker

Ty Tucker and Rory Wilson went to a property known as "The Treehouse" intending to rob Paula Belamonte.  Armed with a knife and masked, the pair was met at the stairs leading up to the treehouse by Matthew Bonnett.  Bonnett was fatally injured in the brawl that ensued, and Paula Belamonte was also injured.  Co-defendant Wilson was tried separately and convicted of robbery and homicide.   In his trial, Tucker served as his own attorney, having had "irreconcilable differences" with his original attorney.​​​​

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Case Details

​Victim(s):

  1. Matthew Bonnett, killed

  2. Paula Belamonte, injured​

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Charge(s): ​

  1. robbery

  2. homicide

  3. aggravated assault and battery

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Where:

  • Monroe County, Florida

    • Key West, Florida

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When:

  • Event Date: November 17, 2017

  • Arrest Date: November 2017

  • Trial dates:  1/11/2024 - 1/24/2024

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​​​Verdict: January 25, 2024

  1. hung jury - Mistrial declared.

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Sentence: December 16, 2024

  1. Time served.  Tucker had been held for a possible retrial, but prosecutors reached a plea agreement where Tucker was sentenced to time served for "masked robbery with a deadly weapon."  He walked out of jail on Dec. 16, 2024.

 

​Notes:

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During his trial, Ty Tucker chose to represent himself "pro se" without an attorney.  There was an attorney appointed to him on stand by, but Tucker did not take advantage of the help.

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