JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The State Attorney's Office has released two letters Michael Dunn wrote to his daughter last year, before his trial that ended with convictions on three counts of attempted second-degree murder and shooting into a vehicle, and a hung jury on the murder charge in the shooting death of Jordan Davis.
The letters show Dunn was actively working to assist in his own defense. He told his daughter Rebecca that during his interrogation by Jacksonville police, one of the detectives said something along the lines of, "Don't you know asking someone to turn the music down around here can get you killed?"
Dunn wanted her transcribe the interview and find that comment by the detective, according to the letters.
Dunn also took a strong stance against State Attorney Angela Corey and wanted his daughter to contact the American Civil Liberties Union in hopes it would investigate "my civil rights violations."
Dunn wrote, "I'm hoping that they'll make a stronger case against Ms. Corey based on her actions, since she appears to be free to express biased opinions." He was referring to comments Corey made after the acquittal of George Zimmerman.
Dunn also wanted his daughter to contact defense attorney Cory Strolla to get a copy of music videos belonging to Tommy Stornes, the driver of the SUV in which Davis was sitting.
"Cory won't translate the songs, as we can't use it as evidence," Dunn wrote. "However, I'd like you to transcribe them so we can post excerpts on the website. I saw some of the lyrics, and they talked about pulling a guy out of his car to kill him."
That website was created to get Dunn's side of the story out before the trial. He wrote, "We only have a few more months (thankfully) before the trial. The way I see it, we only have three months left to counter all the spin that's been going on for the past year."
Attorney Rhonda Peoples-Waters, who is not affiliated with the case, said because Dunn was in jail for several months, he was exploring everything he could to get his defense prepared.
"That's really not unusual for a defendant to be actively involved in his own defense," she said. "Obviously, Michael Dunn was a defendant who was not maybe used to the criminal justice system."
Dunn is awaiting a new trial, which is set for Sept. 22.