Florida murders accused ‘told brother of evidence’

A TEENAGER accused of killing two British tourists called his half-brother from prison saying police had found evidence which could “f*** him up”, a court heard yesterday.

In the call, Shawn Tyson said police had found bullet casings connected to the shooting of Britons James Kouzaris, 24, and James Cooper, 25.

The men were shot in the impoverished Newtown area of Sarasota, Florida, in April last year. The friends, who were holidaying with Mr Cooper’s family, drunkenly stumbled into a rundown public housing project known as The Courts.

Tyson, 17, denies two counts of first-degree murder. He faces life in jail without parole.

The court heard a call made by Tyson from Sarasota county jail which was recorded by police.

In the conversation with his half-brother, played to the jury, the then 16-year-old said: “Somebody say they saw me out there”, adding: “They found the bullets”.

Asked about the discovery, he replied: “It’s the only thing that’s going to f*** me up.”

The court also heard that Tyson’s DNA was found on James Cooper’s trousers. The bloodstained clothes were shown to the jury.

Earlier, detective John Todd told the court there could have been a “thousand different reasons” why the victims were found with their trousers pulled down. But he said: “In this case, all the evidence pointed to an attempted robbery.”

XREF TO FOREIGN