A judge will rule by the end of this week on a defense motion to delay the sentencing of the the man convicted last year of killing two Tampa police officers.
Morris is scheduled to be sentenced May 30 for killing officers Dave Curtis and Jeff Kocab during 2010 traffic stop. The jury unanimously recommended the death penalty.
Attorneys for Morris want the sentencing delayed because a detective who testified at Morris' trial is being investigated by federal authorities and has been fired by the Tampa Police Department. Judge William Fuente said he hopes to announce his decision by the end of this week.
Details of the federal investigation into Det. Eric Houston have not been released, but 19 cases Houston worked on are being scrutinized.
Morris' attorneys wants to know more about the federal investigation to determine whether it could be grounds for filing for a new trial. Houston supervised evidence and the crime scene investigation.
Because a federal grand jury has been seated in the investigation of Houston, the U.S. Attorney's Office does not have to release any information. That office has said it will not be ready to release more on the investigation until September.
Morris' attorneys argued that the state is legally required to explain why Houston is under a federal probe and what, if any, impact that may have had on the investigation and trial.
The question Judge William Fuente will have to answer is, do defense attorneys have a right to the information and is the state legally required to share it?