Boy Takes the Stand in Teacher Killing
May 8, 2001 -- Nathaniel Brazill, the 14-year-old charged with first-degree murder in the shooting death of his teacher, took the stand in his own defense today in a West Palm Beach courtroom.
"Are you a psycho?" defense attorney Robert Udell asked Brazill.
"No," the boy said.
Showing little emotion, Brazill continued to answer "no" when his lawyer asked him if he was demented and a cold-blooded killer. Brazill also said he did not mean to harm his teacher.
Brazill was 13 when he was charged last year with shooting language arts teacher Barry Grunow in the face just a few minutes before school let out for the summer on May 26, 2000. Earlier that day, Brazill had been sent home for throwing a water balloon.
If convicted of first-degree murder, Brazill faces life in prison without parole, the mandatory sentence possible for the charge. Brazill also could be found guilty of second-degree murder or manslaughter. Those charges carry lighter sentences.
His family rejected a plea deal of 25 years in prison in exchange for a guilty plea to second-degree murder.
He Wanted to Protect the President
Wearing a navy blue tie and sweater with a white-collared shirt peeking out, Brazill told the jury about his interest in the military and law enforcement. Inspired by movies such as Air Force One, he said, Brazill had written a letter to the White House saying he wanted to join the Secret Service.
Brazill said he was doing well in most of his classes, although he did receive a couple of "D" grades and an "F" from Grunow. Despite the bad grade, Brazill said he liked Grunow.
"He was a nice guy, a good teacher," Brazill said. "He madehis class fun."
Brazill found the semiautomatic pistol he used to shoot Grunow in a cookie tin in his grandfather's bedroom dresser, he testified. He took the gun and all five bullets because he was going on a hunting trip with his uncle that summer.
Brazill admits shooting the teacher, but claims it was an accident. Prosecutors, who argue Brazill intentionally killed Grunow, rested earlier today.
This morning, the jurors watched Brazill's taped statement to police. On the tape, Brazill was crying because he had just been told Grunow, 35, had died.
In the video, Brazill sat mostly silent at a table with his mother on one side. Lake Worth Police Det. Dan Boland asked Brazill why he cried after the shooting.
"'Cause I made a stupid mistake," Brazill said. "And me and the teacher, we was good friends. I don't know what happened."
An Accidental Shooting?
On the portion of the tape viewed on Monday, the seventh-grade honor-roll student said he was angry over being sent home early by a Lake Worth Middle School counselor for throwing a water balloon. Brazill admitted he grew more upset when Grunow refused to let him talk to two friends in his class, but said he didn't mean to shoot him.
He pointed the pistol at Grunow to scare the teacher into letting him say goodbye for the summer to the two girls, he told police.
The defense argues that the cheap pistol fired unintentionally in the hands of the inexperienced, young shooter. Brazill's lawyers say the boy thought the safety was on. On the police videotape, Brazill said he learned to fire the gun by watching TV police shows.
But two prosecution witnesses, both firearm experts, testified Monday that the .25-caliber semiautomatic handgun Brazill used could not fire accidentally.
The defense's gun expert said that gun model is known to cause unintentional firings. Lama Martin, an independent firearms expert, also said the safety could turn off accidentally.
This morning's proceedings were briefly interrupted when a man with a press pass began shouting in the courtroom.
"Ladies and gentlemen, it's wrong to try a 13-year-old as an adult," shouted Wil Van Natta. "This is wrong. This is wrong."
The man was escorted out, and jurors told the judge the outburst wouldn't affect them.