SANFORD — An Altamonte Springs man on Wednesday pleaded no contest to manslaughter for shooting his son to death, then, as he stood near the body, telling deputies the victim was an intruder whom he’d never met.
In truth, the two shared the Altamonte Springs home where the shooting took place and had spent part of the evening together, according to court records.
Robert John Trott, 59, of Altamonte Springs admitted no wrongdoing at Wednesday’s hearing. He had been charged with second-degree murder but entered the plea to the lesser charge.
He was sentenced to two years of house arrest to be followed by 10 years of probation, and fined $10,000.
The son, Robert Benjamin “Ben” Trott, 36, was found dead just inside the front door April 6, 2004. He had been shot through the neck and had been hit in the head with such force that his skull was fractured, according to court records.
There were signs of a fight, according to records.
The father had minor injuries to his forehead and left arm, according to court records.
“There was a lot of blood,” said Assistant State Attorney Charley Tabscott.
It’s not clear why the elder Trott told deputies at the scene, with the body still in the entryway, that the victim was not his son.
“It’s just so clear it was his son,” Tabscott said. “We have evidence he knew he’d shot his son.”
Defense attorney Warren Lindsey called the shooting “a tragic accident.”
The victim had marijuana, nitrous oxide and nearly three times the legal limit of alcohol in his system, according to court records.
