CLEARWATER, Fla. -- An attorney who said she’s representing Michael Drejka in the controversial stand your ground case, spoke out Tuesday.
- Drejka remains jailed on manslaughter charge
- Aug. 8: Stand Your Ground: Critics demand Gov. Scott suspend controversial law
- Aug. 1: Markeis McGlockton shooting case turned over to State Attorney's Office
- July 28: Friends and family gather at Markeis McGlockton's funeral
Lysa Clifton said she met with Drejka at the jail and he signed paperwork, appointing her as his attorney.
Clifton will be representing Michael Drejka, charged in the July 19 shooting of Markeis McGlockton.
Clifton said she plans to request a bond hearing to lower Drejka's bond. She’s also hoping the judge will reconsider Drejka having to wear an ankle monitor if he bonds out of jail.
Surveillance video showed McGlockton shoving Drejka, 47, to the ground after Drejka confronted Jacobs for parking in a handicapped spot outside the Circle A Food Store on Sunset Point.
Drejka shot McGlockton, 28, who later died.
Drejka remains jailed under $100,000 bond. Should he post bond, he must surrender firearms, wear a tracking device and not leave Pinellas County, and have no contact with the McGlockton family.
Clifton said she planned to submit the official paperwork in this case Wednesday. She also said she’s working this case pro bono.
"My colleague and I talked and as being criminal defense attorneys we believe everybody has a right to a criminal defense attorney," Clifton said. "Despite the case, despite the publicity."
Clifton said she had questions for Drejka herself, like where he’s been since the shooting.
She said Drejka told her he had been at home the entire time. She also said Drejka hadn’t watched the media coverage in this case but that he imagined the public was split with half of the people supporting his defense.
Clifton said she hadn’t watched much media coverage on the case either but was familiar with it.
"I’ve looked at it from both sides," she said. "And it’s easy for me if I were a juror sitting on the stand to have a difficult time making a decision one way or another and going into a trial if we get to that point, I think our benefit would be that we only need one.
"And if we can convince one not to be guilty I think it’s a win."
Clifton said she hasn’t tried a stand your ground case before but her co-counsel has, so she’s prepared either way.
"People are looking so one sided at things whether it be race or age, whether it be, ‘oh well it would’ve never started and she parked in the handicap spot’, the issue here is somebody died and somebody shot that person and there’s a law in Florida that permits that," Clifton said. "Whether it was overused or under. Whether it needs to be changed, whether it doesn’t. I hope that this case will at least do something to change the way the law is applied."
Clifton said using the stand your ground defense is a 50/50 chance.
"I think it could go either way," she said. "I think if we get to the jury phase I think it depends on the jurors. I think it depends on their view of the stand your ground law.
"I think it depends on things such as assuming somebody’s state of mind when they react to something, age difference, of course not to I guess ignore what’s out there, race is a big issue here. So there are gonna be a lot of factors that come into play here."
When asked how Drejka was doing behind bars Clifton said he was doing great.
"Outside of him complaining that the facilities are relatively cold, he seems to be doing very well for just having being arrested and not knowing what’s going on, on the outside, not knowing what people are thinking of him," she said.
Bay News 9 reporter Jason Lanning contributed to this report.