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Former Lakewood Ranch QB Formally Charged With Murder

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By MICHAEL A. SCARCELLA

Sarasota Herald-Tribune

Published: July 29, 2008

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  Tim Brooks

BRADENTON - A former Lakewood Ranch High quarterback and his friend could face the death penalty if convicted of the first-degree murder charges prosecutors filed against them Monday.

The two 18-year-olds were formally indicted by a grand jury Monday on charges of first-degree murder in the July 13 shooting death of 19-year-old William White of South Manatee earlier this month.

The indictment against Tim Brooks, the accused shooter, and Cody Rogers, who authorities say was also armed with a gun, exposes the defendants to the possibility of a death sentence if the men are convicted as charged. Prosecutors, however, have not announced whether the state will proceed with a death case against Brooks and Rogers.

In Florida, the state needs a first-degree murder indictment before mounting a death penalty case. The charges against Brooks and Rogers show that the state does not believe the shooting was accidental or reckless. The shooting was premeditated -- an act of violence that was thought about before any shot was fired.

Brooks, a quarterback at Lakewood Ranch High School, has been jailed since his arrest. Rogers had been free on $500,000 bond. He was arrested this morning and is in custody at the Manatee County Jail with no bond set.

Rogers' attorneys, Mark Lipinski and Scarlett Guy, have disputed the police claims that the shooting was planned. Lipinski said at a recent court hearing that the investigation of the murder of White is in its early stages.

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