Florida
Florida man acquitted of murder charge years after deadly dispute with neighbor over cat
Neighbor acquitted of murder charge in cat dispute
A years-long legal battle over a deadly confrontation in Umatilla, Florida, has ended with a jury acquitting a man of second-degree murder charges stemming from a dispute over a cat.
MARION COUNTY, Fla. – A years-long legal battle over a deadly confrontation has ended with a jury acquitting a man of second-degree murder charges stemming from a dispute over a cat.
James Taylor, 41, was fatally shot during an argument with his neighbor.
What led to the deadly confrontation?
The backstory:
The incident occurred on October 20, 2021, in Southeast Marion County, north of Umatilla, and reportedly began when Taylor’s cat crossed onto the neighbor’s property, leading to a confrontation.
According to investigators, the neighbor, Clifton Anthony Bliss Jr., armed himself with a rifle and approached Taylor’s home, where the argument escalated.
The sheriff’s office arrested Bliss Jr. on a second-degree murder charge. Last week, a jury found Bliss Jr. not guilty after determining his actions were reasonable under the circumstances.
What they’re saying:
Taylor’s fiancée, Crystal Mitchell, expressed disbelief over the tragedy. “For that to end up like that? It’s unbelievable,” she said. Mitchell, who declined to appear on camera, said Taylor was a helpful neighbor, adding, “James wasn’t the kind to walk around and just threaten anybody and everybody with violence — that was not him.”
Legal experts say such cases hinge on proving an imminent threat of deadly force.
Criminal defense attorney Michael Panella, who was not involved in the case, emphasized the importance of de-escalation in conflicts.
“Your best self-defense are … nonverbal and verbal cues, being able to de-escalate something and actually removing yourself from a dangerous situation,” Panella said. “The last resort, the absolute last resort, is using deadly force.”
Bliss Jr. declined to comment on his acquittal.
Mitchell hopes her story reminds others that violence is never the answer.
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The Source: This story was written based on information shared by the Marion County Sheriff’s Office, and the victim’s fiancée, Crystal Mitchell.
ORLANDO, Fla. – What we know: A 23-year-old woman from Altoona was killed Tuesday morning in a crash involving a dump truck and a sedan on County Road 439 near County Road 44A, authorities said.
The Florida Highway Patrol said the crash occurred at approximately 8:23 a.m. when a 1994 dump truck traveling northbound on CR-439 encountered stopped traffic. The driver, a 28-year-old man from Leesburg, attempted to brake but veered into the southbound lane, colliding head-on with a 2019 Toyota Corolla.
The driver of the Corolla was transported to AdventHealth Waterman Hospital, where she was pronounced dead, troopers said. The dump truck driver was not injured and remained at the scene.
Both directions of CR-439 remain blocked as authorities continue to investigate. No additional details have been released.
A full media release will be provided as more information becomes available.
The Source: The information in this article comes from the Florida Highway Patrol.
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MIAMI – Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is calling for a special legislative session to align state policies with President-elect Donald Trump’s promised crackdown on illegal immigration, but the move has drawn resistance from Republican leaders in the state legislature.
Florida House Speaker Daniel Perez and Senate President Ben Albritton sent a joint letter Monday dismissing the notion of a special session as “premature” and criticizing the governor’s proposals as lacking substance.
The session is currently scheduled for the week of Jan. 27, shortly after Trump’s inauguration.
“As you know, this Legislature will address illegal immigration, condominiums, petition initiatives and hurricane recovery this session, which starts in 50 days. Calling a special session at this time is premature,” the letter reads.
Republican leaders emphasized their support for Trump and his immigration agenda but argued that acting without detailed guidance from the federal government could hinder the incoming administration’s efforts.
“It is completely irresponsible to get out ahead of any announcements President Trump will make, especially when uninformed or ill-timed state action could potentially impair or impede the success of President Trump’s forthcoming efforts to end illegal immigration, close our borders and protect the sovereignty of our nation,” they wrote.
The letter also took issue with the governor’s approach, saying he had presented only “fragments of ideas” without actual bill language or meaningful details for lawmakers to consider.
Read the memo in its entirety:
Florida
SpaceX launches Monday morning Starlink mission from cloudy Cape Canaveral Space Force Station
Brevard Space Coast launch sites rockets spaceX ULA NASA
A quick look at which rockets lift off from various Brevard launch sites.
Cloaked by cloud cover, a rumbling SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket promptly vanished from view from various vantage points across the Space Coast swiftly after liftoff Monday morning.
SpaceX’s Starlink 12-4 mission vaulted from Launch Complex 40 at 11:47 a.m. EST at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.
Monday’s Starlink liftoff took place about 8½ hours after Blue Origin crews scrubbed their early morning bid to launch the first New Glenn rocket on its historic maiden mission from nearby Launch Complex 36.
The SpaceX liftoff — which deployed 21 Starlink internet satellites into low-Earth orbit — clocked in as the fifth orbital rocket launch thus far during the 2025 calendar year from Florida’s Space Coast. Last year saw a new annual record of 93 launches established at the Cape.
Unlike during Monday’s early morning New Glenn launch window, patches of significant cloud cover raced eastward across Central Florida and North Florida before the SpaceX liftoff, as seen in a National Weather Service radar loop from the Melbourne Orlando International Airport station.
The Starlink mission marked the Falcon 9 first-stage booster’s 15th flight. The booster previously launched Ax-2, Ax-3, CRS-30, SES 24, NG-21, Euclid and eight Starlink missions, SpaceX reported.
Following stage separation, the booster settled for a landing on the SpaceX drone ship A Shortfall of Grativas out in the Atlantic Ocean.
Next SpaceX launch coming up Wednesday
SpaceX will next launch Firefly Aerospace’s Blue Ghost moon lander for NASA atop a Falcon 9 at 1:11 a.m. Wednesday from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center.
“After the launch, Firefly’s Blue Ghost lander will spend approximately 45 days in transit to the Moon before landing on the lunar surface in early March. The lander will carry 10 NASA science investigations to further our understanding of the Moon’s environment and help prepare for future human missions to the lunar surface, as part of the agency’s Moon to Mars exploration approach,” a NASA media advisory said.
For the latest news and launch schedule from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station and KSC, visit floridatoday.com/space.
Rick Neale is a Space Reporter at FLORIDA TODAY. Contact Neale at Rneale@floridatoday.com. Twitter/X: @RickNeale1
Space is important to us and that’s why we’re working to bring you top coverage of the industry and Florida launches. Journalism like this takes time and resources. Please support it with a subscription here.
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