Opening statements, testimony begins in Krisroy Lloyd’s road rage homicide trial

It was a few days after Hurricane Irma ravaged Southwest Florida in 2017.

The stress of the aftermath is what led to the fatal shooting of  20-year-old Aden Wright by Krisroy Lloyd at a Lehigh Acres intersection on Sept. 14, 2017, according to opening statements on Wednesday.

The interaction between the two began at the intersection of Leonard Boulevard North and Leonard Boulevard South when Wright was weaving it and out of traffic and then became stuck behind Lloyd whose truck was parked in the roadway, said Assistant State Attorney Hamid Hunter.

“Mr. Lloyd gets out of the SUV and approaches Mr. Wright’s blue Mustang,” Hunter said. “Mr. Lloyd is upset.”

That’s when Wright reaches for a gun, Hunter said, adding that he wanted Lloyd to drive away.

But it was Wright who drove away and as he did, a single gunshot was fired from Lloyd’s gun as he pointed it out of the window. It struck Wright in the head.

“People are hot, they’re dirty, really not sleeping very well because we don’t have air conditioning,” said Donald MacFarlane, who is representing Lloyd. “At worst those experiences can be a recipe for short fuses and bad decisions.”

Wright is driving aggressively, and begins tailgating Lloyd, MacFarlane said.

When Lloyd begins to approach Wright to see what his problem is, he sees the gun on Wright’s lap.

And that is when he goes back to his car to arm himself, MacFarlane said.

“Remember he just had a gun pulled on him. He’s trying to arm himself. He’s scared,”  MacFarlane said. “The weapon discharges.”

MacFarlane called it a “very low-quality pistol.”

“Throughout this incident from the moment Lloyd got out of his SUV unarmed and walked back to his car, Aden Wright armed himself and remained armed at all times,” MacFarlane said.”This isn’t a whodunit, folks. Mr. Lloyd was struggling to get a hold of the firearm and the gun discharged.”

MacFarlane said the jury will return a not guilty verdict.

The jury is comprised of six jurors and two alternates.

Lloyd, a convicted felon, could face life in prison if found guilty.

After opening statements jurors heard from numerous people who were driving near the shooting at the time.

Some said they saw the cars stopped on the side of the road while others said they saw Wright’s car spin out after the shot was fired.

Some stayed to call 911 and help.

Many witnesses said they didn’t hear a gunshot or get a good look at the driver who fired the gun, but Timothy Howard did see Wright react.

“When I looked in there I saw somebody slumped over the wheel,” Howard said. “He was still breathing. He was still shaking.”

One of the witnesses who stopped to help Wright said they found him with a gun.

Deputies and crime scene technicians testified Wright had not fired his gun because the chamber was full.

Testimony continues on Thursday.