CLAY COUNTY, Fla. — Lawyers for a Clay County man convicted twice of killing and raping a veterinary technician have filed a motion for a new trial.
Michael Renard Jackson was convicted for Andrea Boyer’s rape and murder in 2010, and in February. Boyer, 25, was murdered and sexually assaulted in 2007 while working at an Orange Park animal clinic.
>>> STREAM ACTION NEWS JAX LIVE <<<
The motion for a new trial, filed Friday, claims, “This case was solely a circumstantial evidence case.”
In 2012, Jackson was granted a re-trial, after the Supreme Court ruled that a videotaped interrogation tainted the jury.
READ: Jury does not recommend death for Michael Renard Jackson, man found guilty of murdering vet tech
Supreme Court documents from 2021 state, “We find that the trial court abused its discretion in admitting the videotaped interrogation at trial because the probative value was substantially outweighed by the danger of unfair prejudice.”
Jackson was also recommended for the death penalty, but that was back when the jury’s decision did not have to be unanimous. He was granted a new trial as a result.
READ: For a second time, Michael Renard Jackson is guilty of first-degree murder
A Clay County jury found Jackson guilty for a second time on first-degree murder and sexual battery charges. His re-trial took six days. On Wednesday, Feb. 22, the jury did not recommend the death penalty for Jackson.
At one point during deliberations, the jury asked, “Was it right to argue that we would be killing him?” The judge and attorneys agreed not to comment and told jurors to continue deliberating.
READ: Opening statements in retrial for Michael Renard Jackson, man convicted in 2007 killing of woman
Ultimately, the jury did not recommend the death penalty, after an hour and a half of deliberations.
Jackson’s sentencing is currently set to take place on Monday, March 13.
[DOWNLOAD: Free Action News Jax app for alerts as news breaks]
[SIGN UP: Action News Jax Daily Headlines Newsletter]
Click here to download the free Action News Jax news and weather apps, click here to download the Action News Jax Now app for your smart TV and click here to stream Action News Jax live.