{"id":3175,"date":"2026-06-11T04:35:27","date_gmt":"2026-06-11T04:35:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tampamovingjournal.com\/?p=3175"},"modified":"2026-06-11T04:35:27","modified_gmt":"2026-06-11T04:35:27","slug":"tampa-murder-trial-paused-over-allegations-juror-intimidation-in-courthouse-elevator","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tampamovingjournal.com\/?p=3175","title":{"rendered":"Tampa murder trial paused over allegations juror intimidation in courthouse elevator"},"content":{"rendered":"

TAMPA, Fla.<\/strong> – <\/span>A man and woman could face contempt of court charges after a Hillsborough County judge paused a murder trial Wednesday to address allegations of juror intimidation in a courthouse elevator.<\/p>

Read more Tampa Bay Rays CEO faces Drew Park residents\u2019 displacement and affordability concerns over stadium project<\/a><\/p>

Elevator incident pauses trial<\/h2>

What we know:<\/p>

<\/div>

During the murder and robbery trial for Terry Stephens, a juror reported an encounter with two gallery members, identified as De’Ray Roberts and Shannon Smith.\u00a0<\/p>

\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n <\/div>

The juror told Judge Lyann Goudie that the individuals made comments Tuesday in a courthouse elevator about “remembering faces, and they are going to be the ones to decide.”<\/p>

Roberts and Smith had been sitting behind Stephens during Tuesday’s proceedings.\u00a0<\/p>

Stephens is accused of killing James Young, an alleged drug dealer, but told the judge he had nothing to do with the elevator incident.<\/p>

Judge issues stern warning<\/h2>

What they’re saying:<\/p>

Judge Goudie quickly shut down the disruption, speaking directly to both legal teams and the two accused individuals.\u00a0<\/p>

“No one comes into a court of law and intimidates anyone where I am the presiding judge,” she said.<\/p>

\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n <\/div>

After ensuring the jury’s safety and polling members who expressed fear, the judge scolded Roberts and Smith.\u00a0<\/p>

Read more Florida governor race: David Jolly picks Gwen Graham as running mate as Democrats push for panhandle<\/a><\/p>

“These are two people that thought they could come to a courtroom in the United States of America, in the state of Florida, and try to intimidate jurors,” Goudie said.<\/p>

Prosecutor weighs tampering charges<\/h2>

What we don’t know:<\/p>

While the defense moved for a mistrial, Judge Goudie denied the motion, allowing the murder trial to continue.\u00a0<\/p>

It is not yet clear if prosecutors will choose to pursue separate juror tampering charges against the two individuals involved.<\/p>

The judge emphasized that the decision rests with the prosecution.<\/p>

Contempt hearing set<\/h2>

What’s next:<\/p>

Roberts and Smith are ordered to return to court with their attorneys on June 23 to explain why they should not be charged with contempt of court.\u00a0<\/p>

\n
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Roberts has a prior criminal history and was released from jail three months ago for violating probation on a burglary, kidnapping, and trafficking conviction.<\/p>

To prevent further issues, the judge promised that jurors would not share elevators with the public during breaks.<\/p>

Read more Pinellas County Sheriff\u2019s Office rolls out AI-powered language translation on body-worn cameras<\/a><\/p> <\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A man and woman could face contempt of court charges after a Hillsborough County judge paused a murder trial Wednesday to address allegations of juror intimidation in a courthouse elevator.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3171,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6,3],"tags":[8,4],"class_list":["post-3175","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-crime-and-public-safety","category-hillsborough-county","tag-crime-and-public-safety","tag-hillsborough-county"],"yoast_head":"\nTampa murder trial paused over allegations juror intimidation in courthouse elevator - Tampa moving journal<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/tampamovingjournal.com\/?p=3175\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Tampa murder trial paused over allegations juror intimidation in courthouse elevator - 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