For the past six years, Sandy Modell has been fighting prosecutors and politicians in Florida, seeking justice for the "Stand Your Ground" murder of his son, Ryan, shot to death by his neighbor.
Ryan's mistake was that he celebrated a new job and then mistook somebody else's apartment for his own, waking the occupant who later followed him outside and shot him to death.
Although investigating police have called the killing a clear case of murder, the prosecuting attorney in Florida, seeking to gain favor with the National Rifle Association, has decreed that the killer was within his rights under the state's Stand Your Ground law. However, Modell and his attorneys contend that the law does not apply in this case because the killing occurred 100 yards from the occupant's apartment and that Ryan was no threat to him.
Modell believes Florida political corruption has denied justice for Ryan, as two governors, first Gov. Rick Scott and now Gov. Ron DeSantis, have refused to intervene. And so, he continues his fight, having written a book, "Murder and Corruption in Florida," detailing the case and seeking exposure in the media.
Here are the questions we asked him:
Q. Start at the beginning…what happened? Why did Ryan try to enter an apartment that was not his own?
Q. How is it that the man who shot Ryan, James Steven Taylor, did so and hasn’t been charged with murder?
Q. Is this a case of Florida’s Stand Your Ground law?
Q. In your book about this case, “Murder & Corruption in Florida,” you recount the history of political corruption there and apparently believe that this is the primary reason why Taylor has not been charged, right?
Q. You’ve targeted the state’s attorney, Amira Fox, as being a major villain in this story. You’ve even put up billboards calling her out. Why?
Q. Rick Scott, now a senator who famously wants to put Social Security and Medicare on the chopping block, was governor when this happened. What did he do, if anything, about the case?
Q. What about Gov. Ron DeSantis? Where does he fit into the picture? You write that when you spoke to him at a fundraiser he was sympathetic, even gave you his cellphone number. What’s he done?
Q. In the book, you recount how Taylor is now targeting you. What’s happening?
Q. What do you want to see happen? Why should Taylor be charged with murder?
Q. What’s your next step?
Watch the interview: https://youtu.be/iFJBIZId7dY
Listen to the interview: