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Blair Acquitted
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Published: February 2, 2009
Updated: 02/03/2009 01:52 pm
Jason Blair was acquitted today by a jury who apparently decided Blair's fear that he was about to be attacked was reason enough to leave the scene of a fatal accident.
Blair, 30, was arrested in February 2008 after he struck a pedestrian with his car on State Road 50 as he returned home from work. The victim, Anthony Morales, died hours later at St. Joseph's Hospital in Tampa.
In this week's trial, Assistant State Attorney Don Barbee argued that Blair's confession was evidence enough to validate a charge of leaving the scene of an accident involving death. Blair's attorney, Ellis Faught Jr., countered with a "defense of necessity" argument, which builds on Blair's fear that the other people walking with Morales intended to harm him.
Blair faced up to 30 years in prison for the first-degree felony.
Reporter Kyle Martin can be reached at 352-544-5271 or kmartin@hernandotoday.com.
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