Jury must decide whether to recommend death penalty for Patrick McDowell in shooting death of Nassau County Deputy Joshua Moyers– A jury has begun deliberations in the death penalty sentencing trial for Patrick McDowell, the man who killed Nassau County Deputy Joshua Moyers.
You can’t get back what I’ve taken, but I can try to help you understand why this happened and help you get the justice you deserve. He was clearly not the kind of man to allow bad people in stolen cars full of stolen guns and drugs -- people with active warrants who are so high that reality and conscience were abstract concepts -- run around in his community unchecked.
I decided I would kill him if he tried to take me to jail before I even got in the van at the gas station. I can’t live with the thought of the murder I’ve committed being overshadowed by my life, my military service, my traumatic experiences or my drug use.I let this trial go on because I thought maybe I could be convinced that I don’t deserve a harsh sentence, but I was wrong.
His attorneys brought on an expert witness who said if McDowell hadn’t been on meth, he would have had a more reasonable response to Deputy Moyers, who McDowell himself said was polite and professional. On cross, the expert told the defense he believes McDowell had PTSD but that it was the drug abuse that led to what he did that night, not the PTSD.
Psychiatrist Dr. Ryan Hall testified that PTSD can lead to drug abuse, and it’s often because people self-medicate.“I think a large part of the drug use is related to PTSD. So as a mitigating factor, did his service to the country, did his service at Triple Canopy influence or impact his state at that day? Yes,” Hall said.“I took the life of a man that was better than me. I’ll never forgive myself for that,” McDowell said.
Marines who served with McDowell all spoke highly of him as a smart, good person who was heavily relied upon.
Deputy Barnes told the court it wasn’t common for Moyers to ask for assistance on these calls, which made him want to get to Moyers fast when he got the call for backup. Moyers learned the tag on the burgundy-colored minivan belonged to a different vehicle, and investigators later learned the vehicle had been stolen from Jacksonville.