Erica Pugh has been charged with first-degree murder for the death of Orange County Deputy Scott Pine, even though it was Pugh's boyfriend, Benjamin Holtermann, who pulled the trigger. Holtermann turned the gun on himself after shooting Pine.ORLANDO --
The girlfriend of the man who shot and killed Orange County Deputy Scott Pine has now been charged with first-degree murder for the February shooting.
Erica Pugh has been in the Orange County Jail on charges of burglary and grand theft since shortly after Pine was killed.
But a grand jury has decided there was enough evidence to charge Pugh, 19, with murder.
Pugh was silent in court Thursday morning as a judge told her she was charged with first-degree murder. A grand jury indicted Pugh after a hearing on Tuesday.
Deputy Pine, 34, was shot and killed on Feb. 11 after responding to a burglary call. His shooter, 28-year-old Benjamin Holtermann, was found dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound nearby.
Investigators said Pugh drove off in a stolen car, but was soon caught and arrested.
Though it was Holtermann who shot Pine, Orange County deputies said since Pugh was involved in the burglaries, she was directly responsible for Pine's death.
"We really don't know all the facts, because the grand jury proceedings are private and held in secret," explained News 13 Legal Analyst Mark NeJame, of NeJame Law. "But there are many ways someone can be charged with this, even though they aren't the actual shooter."
A report released in May showed that Pugh worked with Holtermann in a spree of crimes that led up to the confrontation with Deputy Pine, and his death.
According to the report, Pugh admitted to deputies that she acted as a lookout for Holtermann during the string of burglaries. Investigators said they even found evidence that Pugh texted Holtermann right before Pine was killed.
NeJame says he doesn't think Pugh will get the death penalty, but because of the circumstances, he thinks a jury could convict her of first-degree murder.
"If, in fact, during her statements she indicated she was along with him, and she knew what was going to happen that they were planning a felony with each other” and juries have a lot of sympathies for a victim who is police officer," NeJame noted.
Pugh remains locked up in the Orange County Jail without bond.
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