PANAMA CITY -- There was a loaded rifle in the truck Joseph Moody rushed to after he shot his ex-girlfriend, according to police during the first day of testimony in his trial for first-degree murder.
Moody’s .45-caliber pistol was loaded with high-powered ammunition before he emptied the magazine in a busy parking lot March 19, 2013, Cpl. Robert Herrington said. He shot Megan Pettis in the head and leg as she tried to escape.
Police also found a roughly half-empty box of ammunition for the rifle, a key to Pettis’ car, some men’s health magazines and a firefighter’s helmet when they searched it after he was tackled and beaten by bystanders who held Moody until police arrived and arrested him.
Moody’s trial will resume today. He faces a minimum mandatory life sentence if he’s convicted as charged.