A Danville federal judge sentenced a Martinsville man Monday to nearly 20 years in prison for drug distribution and gun charges.
Carlos Santana Morris was sentenced to 19 years and two months. On Dec. 15, a jury found Morris guilty of four drug distribution charges and two firearms charges.
A confidential informant bought crack cocaine four times from Morris in October 2008. The informant recorded each drug buy, and the jury saw the video recordings during the trial.
During closing arguments in December, Ashley Neese, an assistant U.S. attorney, said the video and audio corroborated the informant’s testimony. The informant, Kevin Odell, said that he bought drugs from Morris four times. One drug buy included a .32-caliber revolver, Odell testified. Jurors saw video of Morris firing the revolver.
In December, defense attorney John Weber told the jurors that the transcript running along the bottom of the video screen was not evidence, and each juror had to rely on what he or she heard. The video’s audio was difficult to understand during the trial.
Weber also talked about Odell’s credibility, reminding the jury of Odell’s drug use and his inability to remember the day he quit using.
Tomsic is a staff writer for the Danville Register & Bee
For more crime coverage, check out the “Inside the Yellow Tape” blog at GoDanRiver.com, keyword “Yellow Tape”
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