The jurors and judge left the Citrus man no chance for parole.
By Times Staff Writer
Published April 17, 2004
BROOKSVILLE - James Utsey, 33, will spend the rest of his life behind bars for killing his mother on Dec. 27, 2000.
Circuit Judge Ric A. Howard on Thursday sentenced Utsey to life in prison without parole just moments after a six-member jury found Utsey guilty of first-degree murder and fleeing from law enforcement.
For the Utsey family, which endured years of legal delays, the conclusion of the four-day trial brought bittersweet relief.
"We as a family feel that my sister can now rest in peace and that justice has been served," said Mary Kelly of Connecticut, one of Barbara Utsey's sisters.
Just two days after a family Christmas gathering in Crystal River, Utsey chased his mother's car down rural roads, Assistant State Attorney Don Scaglione said.
A video camera at a DeRosa convenience store captured images of Utsey's blue Dodge van speeding into the parking lot and of Utsey chasing his mother, Barbara Utsey, 64, around the side of the store with a gun.
He shot her four times, once in the head and three times in the back.
