TAMPA, Fla. — The trial of the man accused of murdering a HART bus driver will continue Thursday.
Justin McGriff is facing a first-degree murder charge in the stabbing death of driver Thomas Dunn in May 2019.
What You Need To Know
- Prosecutors in court Thursday described the 2019 killing of bus driver Thomas Dunn
- Justin Ryan McGriff accused in the death of Dunn
- Authorities say McGriff slit Dunn's throat as Dunn drove the bus in May 2019 attack in Tampa
- McGriff, who was 35 at the time, faces life in prison
In the courtroom Thursday, in front of a seated jury, Dunn's family and McGriff, prosecutor Ronald Gale revisited Dunn's final moments and words.
"God Bless you too, the last words of Thomas Dunn,” Gale said. "Just a moment before Mr. McGriff stuck a knife into his throat."
Surveillance footage shows McGriff sitting in the back of the bus with his backpack beside him. Prosecutors said he then pulled a knife out of his pocket and made his way to the front of the bus.
He's then seen swinging the knife toward Dunn.
Detectives said Dunn was able to pull the bus over safely despite his injuries.
McGriff was arrested a short distance from the scene. Justin McGriff is in custody in the stabbing death of driver Thomas Dunn in May 2019.
The defense plans to call witnesses familiar to McGriff, including his mother and two sisters to the stand.
The state says it hopes to rest its case early next Friday.
Dunn was an Air Force veteran, husband and father. He was 46.
As a result of the attack, HART and the Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority (PSTA) upgraded safety measures and installed driver barriers on buses.