Suspect faces murder victim's kin
Ferro goes before judge Tuesday morning
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By SEAN KINNEY
skinney@keynoter.com
Posted - Wednesday, November 11, 2009 11:07 AM EST
Nicholas Ferro (left) is charged with murder the death of Marques Butler (right).
A Hollywood man charged with killing Key Wester Marques Butler early Nov. 1 was in and out of Monroe County Circuit Court Judge David Audlin's courtroom Tuesday morning.
Nicholas Ferro, 23, of Hollywood made a brief appearance at the Freeman Justice Center in Key West. He was scheduled for arraignment on a second-degree murder charge but Audlin pushed that back until Nov. 24 so attorneys on both sides can further investigate the case.
However, the moment was not without impact.
Three deputies escorted Ferro, wearing a jail-issue orange jumpsuit, handcuffs and shackles, into court. Misunderstanding directions, he turned and faced the audience instead of Audlin.
And in those five seconds, his eyes fell on the dozen Butler family and friends assembled. Two elderly women wore T-shirts emblazoned with a picture of their lost loved one's smiling face overlaid on a cross.
The contrast between Ferro's hardened visage and the image of a wide-eyed, hopeful Butler, who was a former Key West High School sports star attending Florida Keys Community College, was striking.
After the proceeding, tears and hugs dominated the activity outside the courtroom.
Assistant State Attorney Manny Madruga is the prosecuting attorney; Miami attorney Edward O'Donnell represents Ferro.
He is being held in the Monroe County Detention Center on Stock Island without bond.
Butler died of a stab wound to the abdomen sustained in the aftermath of the annual Fantasy Fest parade. Specifics of the 4 a.m. incident at Caroline and Simonton streets remain unclear.
Funeral services for Butler were held Saturday in front of nearly a thousand mourners gathered in the Key West High School auditorium.
