Gayle Blount, a South Florida man, was acquitted yesterday for the second time in a separate domestic violence-related case. He had been acquitted last month of attempted murder charges after shooting his ex-fiancée, Bridget Knighton, in May 2021. Blount claimed self-defense during the incident at a Miami Gardens apartment complex, and the jury sided with him despite Knighton’s severe injuries, Local 10 reports.
Blount also faced misdemeanor battery charges in Broward County, where he was accused of pushing Knighton into a table at a Denny’s restaurant during a confrontation in February 2021. NBC Miami reports that the jury saw cell phone video of the incident and reached a not guilty verdict. Blount, who had spent four years in custody fighting both cases, is set to be released early this morning.
Knighton expressed her dissatisfaction with the legal outcomes and stated her intention to file another restraining order against Blount. "I’m sad that the system failed me," she told Local 10, noting her continued struggles with the physical effects of the shooting. She also stated that a restraining order might not offer enough protection if Blount confronts her again.
During the attempted murder trial, Knighton testified that Blount had appeared at her apartment multiple times despite a restraining order. "I remember him saying, ‘Look what you made me do,’" she said in a statement quoted by Hoodline. Blount’s defense argued that Knighton had a firearm in her purse, which supported his self-defense claim. Following the acquittals, Blount will be able to return home, according to his attorney Jonathan Jordan.
"I’m going to be relentless in my pursuit of justice. It’s not over. It’s not over," Knighton told NBC Miami.
