Moses faces the death penalty if convicted in the 2023 Pine Hills shootings that killed three people, including a 9-year-old girl and a television reporter
ORLANDO, Fla. — The murder trial of Keith Moses, the man accused of killing three people during a series of shootings in Pine Hills in 2023, is being pushed into 2027 as his attorneys pursue an intellectual disability claim that could affect whether he faces the death penalty.
Moses is charged with three counts of first-degree murder and other offenses in connection with the Feb. 22, 2023 shootings that killed 38-year-old Nathacha Augustin, 9-year-old T’yonna Major and Spectrum News 13 reporter Dylan Lyons.
Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty. Court records show the case had been scheduled for trial in September 2026.
Moses’ attorneys requested additional time as they develop an intellectual disability claim that they contend could eliminate the death penalty as a sentencing option.
“We’re making good progress,” defense attorney Teodoro Marrero Jr. told the judge Tuesday. “Mr. Moses recently has been tested for his IQ, and so we believe well before December we’ll be able to file a motion in that regard.”
Moses waived his right to appear at Tuesday’s hearing.
The prosecution and defense agreed to move the trial into August or September 2027, with another court date expected before the end of this year to establish the official trial date.
Defense examining Moses’ school records
Moses’ attorneys have been investigating his academic history in the Orange County school system as part of their effort to establish that an intellectual disability existed before he turned 18.
According to a July 6 defense motion, attorneys encountered gaps in Moses’ academic records despite repeated subpoenas. The defense said communication with an Orange County School Board legal representative indicated that the records already obtained were all that remained available.
The defense said in the filing that it obtained other records it believes demonstrate that Moses had an intellectual disability before age 18. Attorneys also retained an expert to administer updated intelligence testing.
Those assertions are part of the defense’s legal argument and have not been established as findings by the court.
The defense said additional time was needed to complete the adaptive-functioning portion of its evaluation and allow prosecutors to conduct their own investigation of the claim.
According to the motion, Assistant State Attorney Will Jay did not object to continuing the case, and scheduling conflicts with trials already set for 2027 led to a request that the case be moved to August 2027.
Three people killed in Pine Hills
Moses is accused of killing Augustin before later returning to the Pine Hills area.
Investigators allege he subsequently shot Lyons and a Spectrum News 13 photographer who were covering Augustin’s killing. Lyons died from his injuries.
Authorities say Moses then entered a nearby home, where T’yonna Major was shot and killed and her mother, Brandi Major, was wounded.
Moses was 19 at the time of the shootings.
The case attracted national attention not only because three people were killed, but because a child and a journalist covering the day’s earlier violence were among the victims.
Moses has pleaded not guilty. He remains charged with the crimes and is presumed innocent unless proven guilty.
