TAMPA, Fla. – Alicia Andrews is back in court for sentencing, but her defense team is asking the court to go much further.
The backstory:
Andrews was found guilty of manslaughter in October in connection with the killing of Charles Jones, the Jacksonville rapper known as Julio Foolio. She was tried separately from four male co-defendants and convicted of a lesser offense.
Her attorneys now argue she should not be sentenced because, they say, she did not get a fair trial.
Why was the judge removed?
In January, Andrews’ defense team successfully got Judge Michelle Sisco removed from the case.
Her attorneys claimed Sisco repeatedly showed bias against Andrews and her legal team, including favoritism toward prosecutors and attempts to humiliate the defense.
MORE: Julio Foolio murder: Jurors find 4 men guilty of first-degree murder for killing Florida rapper
In one exchange captured by Court TV, Sisco admonished a defense attorney in court, saying:
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“Ms. Herrera, stop. I didn’t ask you to talk… You need to stop right now because you’ve been making faces throughout this entire trial.”
What is the defense arguing now?
Andrews’ attorneys say Sisco made several consequential rulings that helped shape the guilty verdict.
They are asking the new judge to either overturn Andrews’ conviction or grant her a new trial.
The defense has challenged several parts of the trial, including jury instructions, the handling of domestic violence evidence involving Andrews and her boyfriend, and rulings about whether jurors should have heard certain evidence.
The state’s case
Prosecutors said Andrews helped her boyfriend and three other men track and stalk Jones as part of an ongoing Jacksonville gang war.
Jones was ambushed and killed outside a Tampa hotel in 2024.
The four men charged alongside Andrews were found guilty of first-degree murder Friday and could face the death penalty.
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