By Ihosvani Rodriguez, Sun Sentinel, October 24, 2013
A Broward jury on Thursday issued a not-guilty verdict for Fernando Rodrigues, a former mixed martial arts fighter who was arrested last year after a road rage incident in Coral Springs.
Rodrigues, 32, a former U.S. Marine and a Brazilian jiu-jitsu competitor, claimed during the four-day trial that he was acting in self-defense when he single-handedly managed to beat up two pool service workers by the side of the road on March 5, 2012.
Rodrigues was facing a mandatory minimum of at least 10 years in prison if convicted and turned down a deal for probation, said his attorneys David O. Markus and Bill Barzee.
“He’s a Marine and one of the most courageous clients I’ve ever had,” Markus said. Markus said his client had insisted from day one he was not guilty.
The six-man jury took a little more than an hour to deliver the verdict, Markus said. Rodrigues took the stand in his own defense.
The two pool men, Michael Caccavella and Juan Uribe, told the Sun Sentinel last year that Rodrigues had honked at them when they didn’t move quickly enough after a light turned green. Caccavella said Rodrigues followed him before both drivers pulled over.
After angry words were exchanged, Rodrigues pistol-whipped Caccavella and Uribe, they claimed. Uribe claimed he was later placed in a wresting hold. While all three men were handcuffed, only Rodrigues was arrested.
The charges against Rodrigues included three counts of aggravated battery with a deadly weapon — his hands.
Attorney Markus said Thursday that his client was only trying to write down the men’s license number when he was accosted with a gun. “He knew how to react. He could’ve killed them, but all he wanted to do was de-escalate the situation until the police arrived,” Markus said.
Reached by phone, Caccavella expressed dismay when told of the jury’s verdict. “I am stunned. I am shocked,” he said. “Well, hopefully [Rodrigues] can put this behind him and we can put this behind us.”
Commentary
I usually don’t give unsolicited referrals, but I happen to know this defense lawyer. If you want a genuine criminal defense lawyer in Miami who does not just plead defendants, David Markus is the guy. A Harvard trained lawyer, young enough (40) to have the passion and competitiveness yet mature enough to know when to hold or when to fold. I have no economic stake in his future, but I am telling you that this is a solid lawyer. He doesn’t come cheap, but he comes reasonable.