Palm Bay teen pleads no contest in trooper shooting

J.D. Gallop | FLORIDA TODAY

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VIERA — A 16-year-old Palm Bay girl facing a second-degree murder charge pleaded no contest for her role in the shooting of a Florida Highway Patrol trooper earlier this year.

The conditional agreement — which asks for juvenile sanctions to be considered at sentencing — was tentatively made with and accepted by the judge during a hearing this morning at the Moore Justice Center in Viera. The judge, listening to the objections to the agreement by prosecutors, is set to hear other potential sentencing options.

Morgan McNeil, who is also facing attempted first-degree premeditated murder of a law enforcement officer and resisting an officer with violence, stood quietly in handcuffs and a gray jail uniform before the judge, joined by her attorneys.

Defense attorney Greg Eisenmenger said the move was made to get McNeil, currently charged as an adult, the necessary mental health treatment she needs.

"This is a case that cries out for mental health treatment," Eisenmenger said after the hearing. "We believe the plea is in her best interest. My main focus is to get her the mental therapy she needs. She's in isolation. In fact, her only interaction is with the jail personnel. It is not a healthy situation. As a matter of fact, it's bordering on torture."

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Investigators said McNeil and the 15-year-old she was dating, Zane Terryn, took a gun from her relative's Palm Bay home and were planning to drive to Ohio to commit suicide. They ended up at a Cocoa gas station, where Terryn fired on Florida Highway Patrol trooper Lt. Channing Taylor during a confrontation. Taylor, wounded in the shoulder, returned fire, killing Terryn.

Taylor spoke for several minutes with prosecutors after the hearing but had no comment about the case outside the courtroom.

McNeil, held at the Brevard County Jail Complex without bond, answered the judge's questions in a low voice. Her father also sat in the courtroom, staring ahead. He left the courtroom without making any comments.

If sentenced as an adult, the teen could face up to life in prison. If sentenced as a juvenile, she could be in state custody up to age 21, possibly spending time in a high-risk offender facility.

Assistant State Attorney Bill Respess contends the teen should face a more punitive sentence.

"A young boy is dead and a police officer has been shot. She's responsible for that," Respess said. "There needs to be more control over her for a longer period of time."

He also argued that the agreement could potentially limit the judge's future options for sentencing. A hearing will be scheduled at a later date.