TAMPA, FLA. — A Tampa man was found guilty of first-degree murder on Thursday after killing a woman over his push to marry his 17-year-old daughter, prosecutors said.
Michael Banks, 44, also was found guilty by a jury on two counts of attempted first-degree murder and attempted murder of a law enforcement officer, the Hillsborough County State Attorney's Office (SAO), District 13, said.
Banks killed his mother’s friend on Jan. 17, 2024, in a Tampa home and then shot his mother, grazing her in the head.
He then shot his 17-year-old daughter in the leg when she was trying to escape, court records showed.
Banks became angry when he learned his family was planning to move his daughter out of state because he began to demand that she marry him and become his lover, prosecutors said.
When the Tampa Police Department arrived, he shot twice at an officer from the backyard, records showed.
Banks is facing a mandatory sentence of life in prison.
He will be sentenced on Aug. 25.
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