A criminal trial was halted temporarily in Miami on Friday when a defendant defecated into his own hands and hurtled feces across a courtroom, just before closing arguments were set to commence.
Dorleans Philidor, 33, aimed the unsavory missile at Miami-Dade Circuit Judge Lisa Walsh during his burglary trial, yelling: ‘It’s protein! It’s good for you,’ according to witnesses.
Thankfully for Walsh the excrement narrowly missed, but the defendant’s dirty protest prompted a frenzied evacuation from the courtroom with lawyers and the judge scrambling for the exit, as county police officer rushed to restrain Philidor.
The defendant had been sitting in a wheelchair to the right of Walsh until a bailiff suddenly called out to the Justice and urged her to seek shelter.
Video captured by a spectator in the gallery shows one officer desperately clinging on to Philidor’s arm in an attempt to prevent him from wiping his hand on the judge’s bench.
Witnesses say they watched on in horror when moments later Philidor appeared to eat the feces as officers worked to restrain him.
‘It was intense. The corrections officers and police officers were swarming. Like 60 of them,’ said witness Allen Rios to the Miami Herald. ‘They told everyone to leave and you couldn’t go back in. It was a hazardous area.’
Undeterred by Philidor’s actions, Walsh proceeded with the trial in a separate room while the original setting was closed for cleaning.
After just one hour of deliberation, the jury returned a verdict of not guilty for Philidor’s burglary charges.
According to reports, Jurors were not present when Philidor ‘cast feces’ across the room.
Despite his acquittal Philidor will remain in custody as he is also facing a separate trial in a grand-theft-auto case.
It’s not yet know if he will face additional charges for the attack, but courtroom officials say this isn’t the first time this week that Philidor’s behavior has delayed court proceedings.
On Thursday during a lunch break, the 33-year-old defecated on himself, smearing it all over his body and on the walls of the cell.
Corrections officers were forced to haul him away through a public hallway, which was soon tarnished by a fecal stench.
An entire wing of the second floor of the building had to be quarantined off and disinfected as a result.
On the request of lawyers and the court, doctor’s assessed Philidor to see if he was feigning a mental illness, but he was adjudged to be fit for trial before Friday’s display.
‘MDCR staff and Correctional Health Services (CHS) Staff will continue to monitor this inmate and will provide extra security precautions to avoid the events from reoccurring,’ court spokesperson Juan Diasgranados told the Herald.
Philidor has also been accused of breaking into a North Miami Beach home while the homeowner was still inside. He was captured shortly after she called police.
Considered a career criminal, Philidor could face up to 15 years behind bars if convicted in the grand-theft auto case.
Source: Daily Mail