Brenton Butler case

The Brenton Butler case (officially State of Florida v. Brenton Leonard Butler) was a murder case in Jacksonville, Florida. During the investigation of a shooting death outside a motel in 2000, police arrested 15-year-old Brenton Butler and charged him with the murder. After police interrogation, Butler confessed to the crime, and the case went to trial. However, during the trial he testified that he had been physically coerced into his confession, and deprived for hours to rights to counsel and a parent. No physical evidence tied him to the case. He was acquitted.

The case gained significant notice in the media. French director Jean-Xavier de Lestrade made a documentary, Murder on a Sunday Morning (2001), about the case. He won an Oscar for Best Documentary Feature in 2002.

Case In May 2000, a married couple from Georgia were accosted outside the Ramada Inn on University Boulevard. State Attorney Harry Shorstein decided to prosecute the case.

During the trial, however, Butler testified that two detectives involved in the investigation, including Michael Glover, son of Sheriff Nat Glover, had intimidated and physically abused him into confessing. The grand jury investigation criticized the prosecutor and police for their handling of the case but found no evidence of criminal wrongdoing. The police disciplinary board sought the suspension of three officers and other penalties for two more, but these measures were later largely overturned. The documentary follows Butler's defense team as they build their case for his innocence. They noted other irregularities after Butler was arrested: although a minor, he was held for hours without being allowed to call a parent or guardian. Similarly, he was not offered the right to counsel.

In 2004, Butler wrote a book about his experience, entitled They Said It Was Murder.

Later developments After Butler's acquittal, his attorneys tipped the Sheriff's Office to two other suspects, Juan Curtis and Jermel Williams. Curtis' fingerprints were found on the victim's purse, which had been recovered after the crime, but had never been tested. Eight months later, the lawsuit was refiled, seeking $8.5 million. Finally, on April 29, 2002, the Butler family accepted a $775,000 settlement from the city. According to their attorney, the family decided to settle for various reasons, including concerns about how long the case would drag on and the difficulty in proving the case under federal civil rights law.