Officer testifies that Russell Tillis came at police with knives

Defendant also faces charges of kidnapping, killing, burying woman

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Sgt. Joel Weeks, one of two Jacksonville police officers who said they were attacked by Russell Tills when they went to arrest him in May 2015, testified Tuesday that Tillis came out of his home with knives in each hand.

Tillis, 54, is on trial on charges of aggravated assault on law enforcement officers, resisting arrest and battery of an officer when they went to his Southside home with warrants for violating injunctions filed by neighbors.

The prosecution said officers attempted to arrest Tillis on two previous occasions, but he ran away. In its opening statement, the state told the jury that surveillance video would show the confrontation between Russell Tillis and the officers.

The defense conceded that there was a warrant Tillis' arrest, but that is the only fact of the case and everything else to be shown will give the jury doubts about the events.

Tillis is also accused of killing a woman and burying her dismembered body in his yard, and will face a second trial. 

Tillis had been accused of leading the police officers that came to his home through a set of booby traps, but Judge Mark Borello granted a request from the defense to prohibit the term "booby trap" from being used in the trial.

Nine months after Tillis' arrest on the assault charges, the dismembered remains of Joni Lynn Gunter were found on his Southside property, police said. They said investigators spent several days at the property, but only found one set of remains.

Last month, police returned to the property and did additional digging, but they have not said if they found anything new. Despite that, police said they believe that Tillis could have abused or killed other young women, particularly drug abusers, prostitutes or women who weren't in regular contact with family, who wouldn't be missed.

No trial date has been set in the murder, but Borello appointed Tillis' attorney in the aggravated assault case as co-counsel on his other case.


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