Neo-Nazi's tattoos to be concealed at Pasco murder trial

PORT RICHEY - John Ditullio Jr. has chosen to decorate his neck with a pair of tattoos – a swastika on the right side and an expletive on the left.

Those tattoos will be covered when Ditullio goes to trial next week on charges of first-degree murder and attempted murder. Pasco Circuit Judge Michael Andrews today agreed to allow a defense request to hide the potentially prejudicial tattoos.

In granting the motion, Andrews allowed a makeup artist to meet with Ditullio every day before court to cover any tattoos that he did not have on the day of the alleged crimes. That means jurors won't see the tattoos on his neck or the tattoos of a slash and a teardrop that mark his face.

A pair of small crosses – one under each eye – will remain in view, Andrews ruled.

Ditullio, 23, a self-professed neo-Nazi, is charged in the March 23, 2006, stabbings of Kristopher King and Patricia Wells. King, 17, died from his injuries.

Ditullio faces a possible death sentence if found guilty of first-degree murder. Attorneys will begin questioning prospective jurors Monday morning and the trial could last into the following week.

Authorities have said Ditullio was a member of the American Nazis, a group that was based out of a compound at 9321 Teak St. in the Griffin Park area. Wells lived next-door to the compound, and King was a friend of her son's.

Assistant State Attorney Mike Halkitis said Ditullio attacked Wells because she was dating a black man. King became a target because he was a homosexual, Halkitis said.

Investigators said Ditullio donned a wartime gas mask and opened the door of Wells' mobile home just after midnight. He cornered Wells and began stabbing her, then turned the knife on King. Wells escaped and ran screaming from the mobile home.

Ditullio was taken into custody the following day after deputies found him inside the compound's mobile home.

Deputies also found an arsenal of guns and knives, framed quotes from Adolf Hitler and German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche, animal bones and white supremacist propaganda.

In court today, defense attorney Bjorn Brunvand said he will argue that Ditullio's neo-Nazi cohorts pinned the crime on him. He said the real killer is Shawn Plott, a member of the group who initially topped the list of suspects.

"It is very reasonable that Shawn Plott committed these crimes," Brunvand said.

He said he has not been able to locate Plott.

The defense case took a hit when Andrews granted a prosecution motion that will prohibit the jury from hearing testimony that could have bolstered the contention that Plott committed the stabbings.

Michele Goodpaster, who lived near the compound, testified that she heard screams and looked out her window on the night of the crimes.

Goodpaster said she saw two men walking and talking, one taller than the other. Although she initially told investigators she heard the shorter man say, "I'm not going to take the rap," Goodpaster wasn't as clear on who said what in her testimony today.

Brunvand planned to argue that the shorter man was Plott, but Andrews excluded any statements relayed by Goodpaster as hearsay.


On a related note.
"A judge has agreed the court will now pay up to $150 a day for a makeup artist to cover up all three tattoos every day of the trial when it begins Monday."

That's starting to make me mad.
He diserves to be seen with those tattoos.
He chose them as a statement about how he lives his life and for better or worse they should be visible.
Plus I'm not thrilled that I'm paying for that with my tax dollars.

The court will pay for a costly makeup artist but I'm not allowed to have a public health care option? This is how f**ked up the American system is.

One is is stupid we have to pay taxes for that. Two they aren't even sure it was him that did it but they didn't go through everything. So in all rights they could have the wrong guy all together. That is a big mess.

I'm too tired (physically and mentally) to even begin to list all that is wrong with that case. I think I'll head over to the Happy Fun Fluffy thread.

This is in the town where I live and yes, such rampant stupidity makes me ashamed of where I live.

The New Port Richey/Port Richey area wasn't like this when I moved here 15 years ago, but between the white trash and the redneck/white trash that has and continues to move here (and to Florida in general) there was no chance for it.

I moved away from Orlando (my hometown) to escape the rampant uselessness there and it took 15 years, but it seems to have spread to here now.

This is why when the housing market improves, hubby and I plan to get out of here.