Brandon Ward
Brandon Michael Ward is a former U.S. Marine convicted of second-degree murder and attempted second-degree murder for a June 25, 2006 incident in which he stabbed two men, Joseph Hall and Joseph Ruinato. Hall died from the injuries.
On the night before the incident, Ward, 20, was at an East Milton party with his 16-year-old girlfriend, Samantha Sparling. Ward met Sparling when he was in San Diego for basic training; when Ward was transferred to northwest Florida, Sparling moved to Milton to live with her mother, where Ward stayed on weekends.
At the June 24 party, the two became separated; Ward fought and wrestled with other attendees, while Sparling became the subject of aggressive sexual advances by one of the party's hosts, Nick Cote. According to Sparling's testimony, she "gave in" to the advances because "it felt good."[1] When Ward discovered the pair engaged in a sex act, he became enraged. Sparling told people that Ward struck her; she later testified this was a lie to conceal her embarrassment.
Ward was forcefully chased from the party by several attendees who were told he hit Sparling. Ward testified that, as he drove to Sparling's home, he received several threatening phone calls from partygoers.[2]
After being comforted by others at the party, Sparling was driven to her Munson Highway home by Ruinato, Hall and another teenage girl. When they arrived, Ward's car was present. A fight ensued, during which Ward produced a butterfly knife and stabbed both Hall and Ruinato three times. Ward's defense has portrayed the fight as instigated by Hall and Ruinato, while the prosecution claims the stabbings were unprovoked.
Ward's trial began on May 14, 2007. His defense attorney, Leo Thomas, has stated he will invoke Florida's "Stand Your Ground" law, passed on October 1, 2005, as Ward regularly stayed at Sparling's house. According to Thomas, "This is a tragedy for everyone involved. There's no question about it. But the evidence will show it was an honest case of self-defense."[3]
A jury found Ward guilty on May 24, 2007.
On July 19, 2007, Ward was convicted to serve life in prison for the murder of Hall. He received a 25-year sentence for the attempted murder of Ruinato, which Ward will serve concurrently.
