FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – The Broward County retrial of Dayonte “Moochie” Resiles for the 2014 murder of Jill Halliburton Su began on March 2. It will continue on Tuesday — after days of witness testimony including that of the victim’s son.
Richard Holt, the Twin Lakes Pools manager, testified on Monday. He said he maintained the Su’s house pool in the 10300 block of Southwest 22nd Place and saw Halliburton Su’s son, Justin Su, distraught.
Detectives considered Justin Su a suspect during the investigation, but he had an alibi for the night his mother was killed, prosecutors said. The then 20-year-old son found his 59-year-old mother dead in her bathtub on Sept. 8, 2014, in Davie.
“The son came out of the back door screaming something happened to his mother and to call 911,″ Holt said.
Nan-Yao Su, a professor of entomology, had asked his son Justin Su to check on his mother. Justin Su told a 911 dispatcher that his mother had committed suicide.
Prosecutor Maria Schneider is arguing that Resiles went to the home to commit a burglary and killed Halliburton Su.
When Resiles was arrested, he had a criminal record that includes several burglary cases — but he didn’t have a history of violence.
Dr. Rebecca MacDougall, the chief medical examiner, also testified on Monday. She said Halliburton Su suffered 26 sharp force injuries.
Investigators found Resiles’ DNA on a knife at the crime scene and on a robe’s belt that detectives believe someone used to bind Halliburton Su, prosecutors said.
A Davie police officer who was among the first responders to arrive at the home after the crime also took the stand Monday. He said Justin Su appeared to be nervous and distraught.
“He was wearing a T-shirt and it was full of blood,” the officer said about Justin Su, who claimed he performed CPR on his mother after he found her bleeding.
Resiles’s defense attorneys questioned the accuracy of the investigation. Their intent continues to be to plant reasonable doubt about the evidence connecting Resiles to the actual murder.
A surveillance company deleted videos that were relevant to the investigation.
In 2016, Resiles escaped from the courthouse and was on the run for six days. Detectives later determined the plot to escape involved a team of people.
The mistrial was in December. If the new jury convicts Resiles of first-degree murder, he could face the death penalty.
Halliburton Su was a member of the powerful Halliburton family that is behind oil and gas industry ventures around the world.
5:30 p.m. report