A murder charge has been dropped against Jean Gabriel Borja Gil de la Madr in connection with a deadly shooting outside the Savoy nightclub in Orlando. The State Attorney’s Office issued a notice on Wednesday that the charge had been dropped, citing a lack of evidence to prove the shooting wasn’t in self-defense.

Details of the Case

According to the defense attorney, Mark O’Mara, his client, Gabriel Borja Gil de la Madr, had turned himself in several hours after the early-morning shooting that took the life of Julian Cruz. O’Mara stated that his client understands the tragedy of the situation and that it will live with him for the rest of his life.

O’Mara explained that the evidence, including enhanced video footage, showed that the shooting was justified. He said that his client had gotten into an argument with Cruz and had gone to his car to leave, but Cruz had opened the car door, which O’Mara described as a forcible felony. This, he argued, justified the use of deadly force.

The police had initially missed Borja’s gun and his bloodied pants at the house, which O’Mara handed over to the Orlando police. The blood on the pants was significant, as it showed that Cruz was inside the car when he was shot.

Reaction to the Dropped Charge

Mark O’Mara, a veteran criminal defense attorney and former prosecutor, commented on the decision to drop the charge. He said that prosecutors are not supposed to try a case that they don’t believe they can win, and he thought the prosecution team had made the right decision.

WESH 2 News also reached out to Julian Cruz’s father, Anthony Cruz, for his reaction to the dropped charge but had not received a response at the time of reporting.

Original reporting: WESH Orlando — read the source article.