OSCEOLA COUNTY, Fla. — The attorneys for a man convicted of killing two Kissimmee police officers are doing what they can to prevent a jury from recommending the death penalty.
Everett Miller was convicted in the 2017 murders of Officer Matthew Baxter and Sgt. Sam Howard.
READ MORE: Former Marine found guilty of killing two Kissimmee police officers.
The defense brought a cousin, fellow veteran and a doctor to the stand in an effort to show what happened to Miller in the military that caused a change in his behavior leading up to the murders.
Miller's cousin, Devona Barnes, said Miller had a normal childhood, but that something in him changed after his 20-plus-year military career ended.
"I observed him crawling around on the floor with knives and pitchforks," Barnes said.
The defense also showed a video of an incident where Miller was taken for a mental health evaluation after witnesses said he was in the streets in his underwear with an assault rifle in the weeks before the murders.
The psychologist, Dr. Steven Gold, said Miller suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder and amnesia.
"He doesn't remember what happened in the event after he arrived on the scene," Gold said.
The penalty phase will continue Thursday morning.
Jurors are expected to come to a decision next week on whether or not to recommend the death penalty.
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