TAMPA, Fla. — On Monday, a judge will decide what is next for Mikese Morse.
In 2018, Morse intentionally plowed his car into a father and two sons riding their bicycles. The father was killed.
It’s taken nearly three years for all sides to agree that Morse was mentally ill at the time of the incident – not guilty by reason of insanity.
On Wednesday, Morse‘s parents and prosecutors offered differing opinions about what should happen next.
"Three years later we’re still having the same conversation," said Khadeejha Morse, Mikese’s mother.
From the time Morse intentionally ran into Pedro Aguerreberry and his two sons, killing the New Tampa father, Morse’s parents have pleaded with the justice system to see their son as a man suffering from mental illness, not a cold-blooded killer.
"There was no support for us. All of these years we were trying to get help for our son. And the moment this crime was committed, when we tried to prevent it from happening, then everyone conspired to feed our child into the criminal justice system," said Khadeeja Morse.
Less than two weeks before the deadly incident, Mikese Morse had gone to Tampa police seeking help.
He was held under the Baker Act, but only for a few days.
"He was released with a bus pass and a 'good luck.' And everything that we try to do to prevent something from happening fell on deaf ears," said his mother.
His parents say Mikese Morse is the victim of systemic racism, which fails those with mental health issues until it’s too late.
"This system is broken. It’s unjust," said his father Michael. "And it’s got racial dynamics that continue to victimize people here locally in the same stuff that we’ve seen going on around the United States with these departments and other agencies acknowledging they need to do something."
Next Monday, his defense attorney will ask the judge who will decide Morse’s fate - to allow Mikese to seek private care and a treatment plan that could eventually let him return to his parents' home.
"Locking people up in institutions does not prevent things like this from happening," said defense attorney Jhenerr Hines. "What we need is mental health services for people. We need them to get care."
Hillsborough State attorney Andrew Warren released a statement shortly after Morse’s parents spoke.
"We agree the system failed Mikese Morse," said Warren. "The question now is what comes next, after his mental illness led him to drive 30 feet off the road to run down a family. We need to make sure he doesn’t hurt anyone else as he’s getting treatment—that requires a secure facility."
Pedro Aguerreberry’s family is out of the country, but attorneys say they plan to join Monday’s court hearing remotely so that their voices can be heard as well.
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