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Witness: Steven Cozzie said, ‘I just killed this chick’
Michael Spencer testifies that murder defendant showed him Courtney Wilkes’ body
Steven Cozzie looks around the courtroom Wednesday during his murder trial in DeFuniak Springs. Cozzie is accused of killing 15-year-old Courtney Wilkes in Seagrove Beach in 2011.
NICK TOMECEK / Daily News
By TOM McLAUGHLIN / The Daily News
Published: Wednesday, June 12, 2013 at 21:13 PM.
DeFUNIAK SPRINGS — Michael Spencer, who spent summers in Seagrove Beach with his aunt, was best friends with Steven Cozzie during the summer of 2011.
But two years earlier Spencer had lied to Cozzie when, in a burst of bravado, he told him he had once fought 20 men and killed two of them using martial arts his Special Forces father had taught him.
On June 16, 2011, only a couple hours after authorities say he raped and brutally killed 15-year-old Courtney Wilkes, Cozzie arrived at Spencer’s aunt’s house and asked his friend, then 18, to confirm “if I had killed two people like I said I had?”
Spencer testified in court Wednesday that he repeated his lie. When he did, Cozzie stunned him with a revelation of his own.
“He said, ‘I just killed this chick,’ ” Spencer told prosecutor Bobby Elmore.
Cozzie, 23, of Seagrove Beach, is charged with first-degree murder, kidnapping, rape and child abuse. He could face the death penalty if convicted.
Elmore said in his opening statement Tuesday that Cozzie had lured Wilkes away from her vacationing family’s South Walton condominium complex to a nearby nature trail. There, Elmore said, he used his shirt and then hers to strangle her nearly to death. Finally, he dragged her off into a dry swamp bed, raped her and beat her at least 10 times on the head with a piece of lumber to kill her.
Spencer’s testimony could prove particularly valuable for the prosecution because, according to his story, after making his pronouncement Cozzie insisted on taking Spencer to show him Wilkes’ body.
Spencer told the jury things he said Cozzie told him as they traveled the mile or so from his aunt’s house to the crime scene. How Cozzie said, “I wrestled with her for like 20 minutes” and that “he had taken off his shirt and strangled her with it and took off her shirt and strangled her with it.”
And then Cozzie showed his friend the badly beaten, nude body of his victim, Spencer testified.
“I got close enough where if I had wanted to I could have reached out and touched her dead body,” Spencer told the court.
Spencer testified that Cozzie removed his bloodied shirt from over Wilkes’ head, muttered, “Oops, I need this, and stepped to the side and threw it into the bushes.” He then told Spencer he had debated how he wanted to club her to death: “Do I want to use the flat end or side, flat end or side, then I said (expletive) it and hit her like 10 times with the side.”
Elmore told jurors Tuesday that testimony from the medical examiner would prove a cause of death of both strangulation and blunt force trauma. He also showed jurors photos he said indicated a fierce struggle and that a bloodied shirt belonging to Cozzie would be introduced into evidence at some point.
Law enforcement officers and emergency personnel who searched for Courtney Wilkes after she was reported missing also testified for the prosecution Wednesday. They confirmed seeing Cozzie and Spencer together the day Wilkes disappeared, and that Spencer had indeed led them to her body.
Cozzie’s half brother, Jeffery Pedersen, worked in a beach services capacity and met the Wilkes family, including Courtney, during their vacation in 2011. In fact, he gave authorities the name of the man — his brother — she was last seen with.
Pedersen also testified that he had noticed Cozzie’s apparent attraction to girls of or about Courtney Wilkes’ age, and “four or five times talked to him about pursuing young girls.”
Pedersen testified that a trespass order had been issued against Cozzie at a neighboring condominium complex where Cozzie’s advances toward young girls had been noticed.
Spencer admittedly wasn’t forthcoming to everyone he talked to on June 16, 2011, as he and Cozzie increasingly drew attention during the search for Wilkes.
On cross-examination, Spiro Kypreos, Cozzie’s attorney, keyed in on Spencer’s omissions and questioned why a martial arts expert such as he would have anything to fear from Cozzie, particularly while in the company of an armed officer.
Spencer testified he was afraid to say anything with Cozzie nearby. He said he was scared of what Cozzie might do to him if he turned him in right away, so he didn’t tell the officer who gave him a ride home what he had seen earlier.
“I wanted to get back to my aunt’s house so I could go to the police,” he told Kypreos.
Witness: Steven Cozzie said, ‘I just killed this chick’
Michael Spencer testifies that murder defendant showed him Courtney Wilkes’ body
Steven Cozzie looks around the courtroom Wednesday during his murder trial in DeFuniak Springs. Cozzie is accused of killing 15-year-old Courtney Wilkes in Seagrove Beach in 2011.
NICK TOMECEK / Daily News
By TOM McLAUGHLIN / The Daily News
Published: Wednesday, June 12, 2013 at 21:13 PM.
DeFUNIAK SPRINGS — Michael Spencer, who spent summers in Seagrove Beach with his aunt, was best friends with Steven Cozzie during the summer of 2011.
But two years earlier Spencer had lied to Cozzie when, in a burst of bravado, he told him he had once fought 20 men and killed two of them using martial arts his Special Forces father had taught him.
On June 16, 2011, only a couple hours after authorities say he raped and brutally killed 15-year-old Courtney Wilkes, Cozzie arrived at Spencer’s aunt’s house and asked his friend, then 18, to confirm “if I had killed two people like I said I had?”
Spencer testified in court Wednesday that he repeated his lie. When he did, Cozzie stunned him with a revelation of his own.
“He said, ‘I just killed this chick,’ ” Spencer told prosecutor Bobby Elmore.
Cozzie, 23, of Seagrove Beach, is charged with first-degree murder, kidnapping, rape and child abuse. He could face the death penalty if convicted.
Elmore said in his opening statement Tuesday that Cozzie had lured Wilkes away from her vacationing family’s South Walton condominium complex to a nearby nature trail. There, Elmore said, he used his shirt and then hers to strangle her nearly to death. Finally, he dragged her off into a dry swamp bed, raped her and beat her at least 10 times on the head with a piece of lumber to kill her.
Spencer’s testimony could prove particularly valuable for the prosecution because, according to his story, after making his pronouncement Cozzie insisted on taking Spencer to show him Wilkes’ body.
Spencer told the jury things he said Cozzie told him as they traveled the mile or so from his aunt’s house to the crime scene. How Cozzie said, “I wrestled with her for like 20 minutes” and that “he had taken off his shirt and strangled her with it and took off her shirt and strangled her with it.”
And then Cozzie showed his friend the badly beaten, nude body of his victim, Spencer testified.
“I got close enough where if I had wanted to I could have reached out and touched her dead body,” Spencer told the court.
Spencer testified that Cozzie removed his bloodied shirt from over Wilkes’ head, muttered, “Oops, I need this, and stepped to the side and threw it into the bushes.” He then told Spencer he had debated how he wanted to club her to death: “Do I want to use the flat end or side, flat end or side, then I said (expletive) it and hit her like 10 times with the side.”
Elmore told jurors Tuesday that testimony from the medical examiner would prove a cause of death of both strangulation and blunt force trauma. He also showed jurors photos he said indicated a fierce struggle and that a bloodied shirt belonging to Cozzie would be introduced into evidence at some point.
Law enforcement officers and emergency personnel who searched for Courtney Wilkes after she was reported missing also testified for the prosecution Wednesday. They confirmed seeing Cozzie and Spencer together the day Wilkes disappeared, and that Spencer had indeed led them to her body.
Cozzie’s half brother, Jeffery Pedersen, worked in a beach services capacity and met the Wilkes family, including Courtney, during their vacation in 2011. In fact, he gave authorities the name of the man — his brother — she was last seen with.
Pedersen also testified that he had noticed Cozzie’s apparent attraction to girls of or about Courtney Wilkes’ age, and “four or five times talked to him about pursuing young girls.”
Pedersen testified that a trespass order had been issued against Cozzie at a neighboring condominium complex where Cozzie’s advances toward young girls had been noticed.
Spencer admittedly wasn’t forthcoming to everyone he talked to on June 16, 2011, as he and Cozzie increasingly drew attention during the search for Wilkes.
On cross-examination, Spiro Kypreos, Cozzie’s attorney, keyed in on Spencer’s omissions and questioned why a martial arts expert such as he would have anything to fear from Cozzie, particularly while in the company of an armed officer.
Spencer testified he was afraid to say anything with Cozzie nearby. He said he was scared of what Cozzie might do to him if he turned him in right away, so he didn’t tell the officer who gave him a ride home what he had seen earlier.
“I wanted to get back to my aunt’s house so I could go to the police,” he told Kypreos.
