Florida Teen Convicted Of 2nd Degree Murder In Slaying Of Teacher

Jet, June 4, 2001

It took jurors 14 hours of deliberation to convict a 14-year-old Florida boy of second-degree murder in last year's shooting death of his English teacher on the last day of school. The jury rejected a more serious charge that could have put the boy in prison for the rest of his life. In issuing a second-degree murder verdict, jurors found Brazill didn't intend to kill Barry Grunow, 35, when he brought a stolen gun to school on May 26.

Brazill, who was also convicted of aggravated assault for pointing the gun at another teacher, faces 25 years to life in prison when he is sentenced on June 29 for shooting Grunow between the eyes.

Last year, Brazill was sent home for tossing water balloons. He later returned to the school and brought a stolen gun with him. When Grunow wouldn't let him talk to two girls in his class, Brazill, an honor roll student with no previous criminal record, leveled a gun at his teacher. The entire 11-second incident, which took place in the doorway of the teacher's classroom, was caught on the school's video surveillance camera.

During the trial, Assistant State's Attorney Marc Shiner argued that Brazill intentionally shot Grunow in an explosion of rage that had been building inside the teen for some time. The gun, stolen from a family friend's home, empowered the largely isolated teen who was not only angry about his suspension but also about a failing grade Grunow had given him, according to Shiner.

But Brazill's defense attorney, Robert Udell, portrayed his client as a prankster who didn't intend to shoot his teacher, and who mistakenly thought he could scare Grunow into letting him talk to two girls, one the object of his schoolboy crush.

In court, Brazill testified in a calm, monotone voice that the gun went off accidentally and that he never intended to shoot Grunow. The teen showed emotion once, crying during cross-examination after the prosecutor asked him what happened to Grunow after the shooting.

"Everybody's at a loss for this case--there are no victories here," said Shiner following the trial. "We lost a good teacher, the community lost a young man who may have had a promising future. It's a sad day. A sad state of affairs."

This is the second time a 14-year-old boy has been tried as an adult in the state of Florida. In March, another jury sentenced 14-year-old Lionel Tate to life in prison without the possibility of parole for the 1999 murder of 6-year-old Tiffany Eunick (JET, March 30). Tate had claimed that he was imitating pro wrestlers and that Eunick's death was accidental.