Opinion ID: 1037055
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Investigation and Charge

Text: On January 2, 2012, a man robbed the Alabama Georgia Grocery Store in Palm Beach County, Florida and shot and killed the store owner in the course of the robbery. Video surveillance showed the suspect wearing a white and green plaid shirt, a hoodie-style sweatshirt, dark-colored basketball shorts with a white stripe, black tennis shoes, and a white bandana over his face. From the surveillance video, it appeared that the suspect had dreadlocks and used a revolver. On January 3, 2012, while investigating the crime, the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office received a tip from an informant, Tameka Glover, who lived next door to Defendant Flowers and was his ex-girlfriend. Glover informed police that on January 1, 2012, the day before the robbery-homicide, Flowers called her and asked her about the hours of operation and number of employees at the Alabama Georgia Grocery Store. The next day, after learning of the robbery, Glover saw Flowers wearing a green plaid shirt. Later, Glover saw Flowers wearing a hoodie- 2 Case: 12-14930 Date Filed: 08/12/2013 Page: 3 of 21 style sweatshirt, blue or black basketball shorts with a white stripe and black tennis shoes. On this second sighting, Glover and Flowers spoke. Flowers told Glover that he no longer needed the information about the Alabama Georgia Grocery Store “because he had already handled it.” When Glover asked, “So you did that,” Flowers responded that it had not gone the way it was supposed to. Approximately one week before she spoke with police, Glover saw Flowers in her yard with a black semiautomatic handgun. Based on this information, Detective Christopher Caris executed an affidavit and investigators obtained a search warrant for the home Flowers shared with his parents. During the search, investigators recovered a black semiautomatic handgun and some ammunition. Investigators took Flowers into custody and read him his Miranda rights,1 which he waived. Investigators questioned Flowers about the robbery-homicide as well as the gun found at his home. During questioning, Flowers readily admitted asking Glover about the grocery store and conceded that he had planned to rob the grocery store. Flowers claimed, however, that someone else had beaten him to it. Flowers also admitted handling and cleaning a black and chrome semi-automatic handgun within the past month, but claimed he had returned it to its owner. When 1 Miranda v. Arizona, 384 U.S. 436, 86 S. Ct. 1602 (1966). 3 Case: 12-14930 Date Filed: 08/12/2013 Page: 4 of 21 investigators asked Flowers about the handgun found in his home, he initially stated that the gun was not his and that the gun was not “dirty” (i.e., had not been used in a crime). On further questioning, however, Flowers stated that he would not talk about that gun anymore. The investigators continued questioning Flowers, and, in response, Flowers made several statements about the gun found in his home, including that he had handled the gun. Subsequently, police apprehended another suspect for the Alabama Georgia Grocery Store robbery-homicide. The suspect confessed and was convicted of the crime, and police cleared Flowers of all involvement. Because Flowers was previously convicted of a felony offense and had not had his right to possess firearms restored, he was charged with possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.