Will Demorris Hunter be given the death penalty? Jury to deliberate as defense offers character witnesses

ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. - A jury has yet to decide if a man convicted of several murders across the country should be given the death penalty.

The penalty phase is currently underway for DeMorris Hunter, 59 – who was found guilty of first-degree murder of his neighbor in a jury trial. 

What we know:

A jury found Demorris Hunter, 59, guilty of killing his neighbor Theresa Green on May 26, 2002. According to an arrest affidavit from the Orlando Police Department, Hunter – known to his acquaintances as "Mike" – attended a party at his apartment complex in Orlando on the night of May 26, 2002 – which ended in the death of Theresa Green. 

Hunter has been behind bars since his 2002 arrest for a murder he committed in Oakland, Calif. two months before Green's death. He's currently serving a life sentence for killing his friend in California. 

The backstory:

Police began investigating Green's disappearance after she didn't show up to work. She was later located in the parking lot of a Sanford Walgreens, wrapped in a fabric in the trunk of her vehicle. 

According to witnesses, who spoke with investigators, Hunter and Green attended a party at their apartment complex when Green became upset with a neighbor and allegedly smacked him. "Mike" – later identified to be DeMorris Hunter – intervened, witnesses told investigators, which led to Hunter being kicked by Green and both of them tumbling down the stairs. 

Witnesses reported that neither Hunter nor Green suffered any injuries in the fall and everyone went back to their own apartment and went to bed, police said. 

A woman who attended the party told investigators she saw Hunter enter Green's apartment and heard a verbal argument between the two, the arrest warrant said. 

The next day – a neighbor told officers – Hunter came to his door asking for help. Green instructed the neighbor to follow him in Green's car – which he drove to a Walgreen's location in Sanford, police said. Hunter left the car in the parking lot and got into the neighbor's vehicle, the warrant said. 

According to police, when asked why Hunter left Green's car, he reportedly told the neighbor, "I did something really bad." 

A medical examiner later determined Green was murdered and the cause of death was manual strangulation, the arrest warrant said. She also had trauma to her neck, the warrant said. Prosecutors argue that the strangulation is not the result of someone defending themselves, rather, the result of first-degree premeditated murder. 

"He squeezed the life out of her," a prosecutor said in court on April 13. 

The neighbors positively identified Hunter as "Mike" in a lineup, police said. 

Previous murder conviction

Another witness Orlando Police spoke with said he was asked by his acquaintance from Oakland, Calif. to pick up "Mike" in Orlando and that he helped "Mike" get a job. According to the witness, "Mike" told him he killed his friend in Oakland, and had served 15 years in prison, the warrant said. 

At the time of Green's death, Hunter had lived in Orlando for about two months.  

Orlando Police later confirmed with Oakland Police that Hunter had an active warrant for his arrest. 

Hunter's family testifies to his character

In court on April 13, Hunter's defense included Hunter's family and friends testifying to his character, calling him a "great person with a great heart" and someone who "always looked out for us." 

The defense wanted the jury to "see another side of Demorris Hunter." 

What's next:

The penalty phase will continue on April 14, during which Hunter's defense plans to ping in two more witnesses: an elderly couple who were Hunter's neighbors when he lived in Oakland. 

Hunter's daughter is expected to speak as well, FOX 35's Alexus Cleavenger said.