TAMPA - A Tampa man who was accused of shooting and killing a rival last year was found not guilty on Thursday evening.

Prosecutors said Dontarvis Singleton, 38, killed 46-year-old Ronald Christian last year in retaliation because Christian tried to rob him a few weeks earlier.

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Investigators said the state's star witness, Singleton's father, who is non-verbal, initially identified his son as the shooter.

But the defense argued the state no longer had a case because Singleton's father later recanted that statement under oath, claiming he didn't know what happened.

A jury ended up believing them and returned a not guilty verdict around 8 p.m. Thursday.

The Source: A FOX 13 photographer was in the courtroom when the verdict w

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