Florida Ex-Cop Who Killed a Lady Throughout an Train Needs His Probation Deal Ended Early

By Lee Williams

Former Punta Gorda, Florida Police Officer Lee Coel aimed his Smith & Wesson .38-caliber revolver at 73-year-old retired librarian Mary Knowlton and pulled the set off 4 instances.

What had been imagined to be blanks, weren’t. Coel had loaded wadcutters into his private weapon. He couldn’t inform the distinction between blanks and reside rounds.

Two rounds struck Knowlton – one hit her elbow and the opposite perforated her aorta. She fell to the bottom mortally wounded whereas her husband of 55 years, Gary Knowlton, watched from only a few ft away. Mary later died at the hospital.

Knowlton and 30 different Chamber of Commerce members had been invited by Punta Gorda Police to attend a one-day residents police academy. Knowlton and Coel had been function enjoying. She was performing as a police officer whereas Coel performed a nasty man.

The August, 2016 killing shocked the nation – particularly firearm instructors – none of whom believed {that a} trendy legislation enforcement company could be so reckless as to make use of an actual weapon in a coaching situation to shoot what they thought had been blanks at somebody.

“Why did they use an actual gun?” the trainers collectively requested. Coel’s actions, which the division formally sanctioned, violated all the fundamental guidelines of firearm security.

Coel wasn’t fired till a 12 months after he killed Knowlton. In 2017, whereas his case was transferring slowly by the authorized system, Coel sued the town for denying him a incapacity pension. He claimed he suffered PTSD because of the killing and was later awarded greater than $12,000 in compensation.

In October 2019, as a part of a no-jail plea deal, Coel pleaded no-contest to second diploma manslaughter and was sentenced to 10 years of probation. He may have been sentenced to fifteen years in jail.

Knowlton’s husband Gary, who has since died, later accepted a $2 million fee from the town’s insurance coverage fund, however the metropolis didn’t admit any guilt or accountability after they issued the fee.

Coel desires his probation ended early

After serving simply one-quarter of his sentence, Coel now desires his probation terminated. There might be a listening to July 25 earlier than Lee County Circuit Court docket Decide Margaret Steinbeck, to find out whether or not Coel’s probation will finish early. Steinbeck is identical decide who sentenced Coel to probation relatively than jail.

In response to courtroom paperwork, Coel has obtained a legislation diploma for the reason that killing, however any state bar affiliation will doubtless deny him membership due to his standing as a probationer.

“Not a day passes the place Mr. Coel doesn’t take into consideration the impact his actions had on others, together with the Knowlton household, the Metropolis of Punta Gorda, and the lives of those that know and love him,” Coel’s movement states. “Mr. Coel respectfully requests this Court docket grant his Movement for Early Termination. Granting the moment Movement will give Mr. Coel the very best alternative to be accepted into his chosen occupation, permitting him to higher himself, his group, and the authorized occupation, utilizing his previous to higher the longer term.”

Mary Knowlton’s household objects

In 2019, Knowlton’s household strongly opposed Coel’s no-jail plea deal. At this time, they strongly oppose ending his probation early, particularly since he has served simply one-quarter of his sentence.

Lee Coel has by no means instantly apologized to the household, nor has he paid any type of restitution. At no level did anybody from the State Legal professional’s workplace contact Gary or his sons to instruct them regarding their rights and duties as victims,” a household spokesperson mentioned in a press release. “Each sons had been near their mom and suffered extreme psychological anguish and incurred substantial medical bills. On Monday, Lee Coel could also be launched from probation. Odds are he’ll search to seal as a lot of the report as is feasible, then later have it expunged. In the meantime he shifts positions from possessing the ability of an officer of the legislation to the ability of an officer of the courtroom.

The Second Modification Basis’s Investigative Journalism Mission wouldn’t be doable with out you. Click on here to make a tax-deductible donation to assist pro-gun tales like this.