A Florida man was convicted of second-degree murder in a case of road rage despite claiming self-defense.
Nicholas Carrasquillo, 27, murdered 30-year-old David Sligh after Carrasquillo said he was cut-off in traffic by Sligh. During his trial Carrasquillo took the stand and said he acted in self-defense: "I wasn't the one driving recklessly that morning," he said according to WESH-2.
"OK, no, you were the person that shot somebody in the back of the head, right?" the prosecution responded, according to the station.
The incident happened in January 2024. According to court documents quoted by WFTV-9, Sligh, and Carrasquillo were in traffic when Sligh changed lanes at a stop light.
Carrasquillo began honking and flashing his lights, and Sligh yelled at him. When the light changed, Sligh did not move his vehicle. Carrasquillo then got out of his car, fired one round into the street, and then fired several shots into Sligh's car, killing him. WFTV-9 reported.
In an interview with police, Carrasquillo admitted he could have driven around Sligh and also said that he knew if he hadn't honked and flashed his lights, Sligh likely would have just driven away, the station reported.
Sligh's family told the station that he had a 1-year-old son and was on his way to start a new job.
"If the gun would've stayed in the glove box the entire time, this would not have happened," prosecutor Michael Smith told the jury, according to WESH-2. "He provoked it!"
Prosecutors pointed out that Sligh was unarmed and never got out of his car. Carrasquillo fired five shots into the vehicle. He faces a sentence of 25 years to life for the murder.
