The man accused of killing a South Florida real estate agent in 2021 asked a judge to drop his first-degree murder charge, claiming he acted in self-defense under the state’s stand-your-ground law.
Raymond Reese, 56, fatally shot United Realty Group agent Sara Trost, 40, as she sat outside a Coral Springs home waiting for a client. Reese, who had recently been evicted from the property, initially admitted to the shooting, telling 911 dispatchers he mistook Trost for his former landlord.
Reese offered a new version of events in court this week, the South Florida Sun-Sentinel reported. He testified that after accidentally clipping Trost’s Jeep in the driveway, Trost pointed a handgun at him through her window.
“Instantly, fear gripped my heart,” Reese said in court. “I thought for sure I was going to be shot and killed.”
But police found Trost’s gun inside her purse, and there’s no evidence she pulled it, state prosecutors said. Reese never mentioned self-defense or a weapon during his initial police interviews.
A ruling on the motion is expected next week. The punishment for first-degree murder in Florida is life in prison without the possibility of parole or the death penalty.
Florida’s stand-your-ground law, passed in 2005, means a person has no duty to retreat and can use deadly force anywhere they have a legal right to be, if they believe it is necessary to prevent death, great bodily harm or the commission of a forcible felony.
Trost’s death sent shockwaves through the local real estate community, serving as a grim reminder of the daily risks agents can face.
According to a recent National Association of Realtors safety survey, 22 percent of real estate agents have felt unsafe on the job, with open houses and solo showings cited as the most dangerous settings. The 2014 murder of Arkansas real estate agent Beverly Carter sparked a national movement toward mandatory agent safety training. — Rachel Stone