RUSKIN, Fla. — The trial for a man charged with second-degree murder in the 2024 death of another man at a Ruskin Marina began on Tuesday.
Prosecutors said in May 2024, Kamal Padlowski met the victim at a bar near Bahia Beach Boulevard before inviting him back to his boat.
According to state attorneys prosecuting the case, surveillance video shows Padlowski eventually shoving the victim off the boat and onto the dock, where the victim struck his head on a fiberglass dock box and lay motionless.
The video shows Padlowski grabbing the victim by his ankles and throwing him into the water, where he did not resurface, per the attorneys.
Prosecutors said Padlowski left the victim in the water and bystanders called 911. Before authorities arrived, attorneys said Padlowski made statements to witnesses about how he possibly killed a man.
Tampa Bay 28 was in the courtroom on July 21, where a judge heard opening statements and surveillance video was shown.
If convicted, Padlowski faces up to life in prison.
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