Prosecutors say Sara Trost’s firearm remained inside her purse and argue Raymond Reese’s initial statements did not describe self-defense.
CORAL SPRINGS, Fla. — A Florida man charged with first-degree murder in the 2021 killing of real estate agent Sara Trost testified that he opened fire because he believed Trost was about to shoot him, placing a disputed self-defense account at the center of a hearing that could determine whether the case proceeds toward trial.
Raymond Reese, 56, is asking a judge to dismiss the murder charge on the grounds that his use of force was justified. Reese acknowledged shooting Trost but testified that she had a gun in her hand during their encounter outside a Coral Springs home. Prosecutors dispute that account, arguing that evidence from the scene shows Trost’s gun remained inside her purse. The judge is considering whether Reese has established a valid self-defense claim.
Trost, 40, of Parkland, was fatally shot Dec. 23, 2021, while sitting in a vehicle outside a home on Northwest 48th Court. Coral Springs police said officers were called to the area at about 12:33 p.m. and found Trost in the driver’s seat suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. She died at the scene despite medical treatment. Investigators detained Reese in connection with the shooting, and he was later charged with first-degree murder.
Police and prosecutors have said Reese went to the property intending to confront a former landlord following a dispute connected to his tenancy. Trost, a real estate agent, was at the property to meet a potential buyer. Authorities have said Reese mistakenly believed Trost was the landlord he had gone there to confront. Reese’s defense has presented the encounter differently, arguing that his reason for going to the property did not establish an intent to commit violence.
During the recent hearing, Reese testified that Trost displayed a firearm and that he feared he would be shot. His attorneys contend that the circumstances gave him reason to believe he faced an immediate threat. The defense also introduced emails related to Reese’s dispute with his former landlord, including material that attorneys said showed money was owed to Reese. Defense attorney Gabe Ermine argued that Reese went to the property seeking an in-person conversation rather than intending to harm anyone.
Prosecutors focused on physical evidence and Reese’s statements after the shooting. Photographs presented during the hearing showed that Trost had a gun in her purse, according to NBC 6 South Florida. Prosecutors maintain that the firearm never left the purse and reject Reese’s claim that Trost pointed it at him. That disagreement is significant because Reese’s request for dismissal rests on his assertion that he reasonably believed deadly force was necessary.
The state also pointed to what Reese did not say when he reported the shooting. Reese called 911 after the gunfire and acknowledged that he had shot someone, according to authorities and court records. Prosecutors told the judge that Reese did not tell the dispatcher that the shooting was an act of self-defense or that the woman he encountered had drawn a gun. Assistant State Attorney Taylor Collins argued that the absence of those details undermines the version Reese later gave in court.
The defense is asking the judge to evaluate Reese’s testimony together with the broader circumstances rather than treating his initial statements as a complete account of what happened. Reese’s attorneys maintain that he believed Trost was his former landlord and that the confrontation changed when, according to Reese, he saw a gun. Prosecutors contend the evidence instead shows that Reese approached the property following a contentious landlord dispute and shot Trost without the justification he now claims.
The case has remained pending for nearly five years as lawyers have litigated questions involving Reese’s statements to investigators and other evidence. In April, Florida’s Fourth District Court of Appeal reversed part of an earlier order that had suppressed some of Reese’s post-arrest statements. That decision returned the case for further proceedings and did not decide whether the shooting itself was justified.
The current hearing presents a different question: whether Reese’s account of an immediate threat is sufficient to prevent a first-degree murder prosecution from continuing. Trost’s possession of a firearm is not disputed, but whether she removed it from her purse and pointed it at Reese remains sharply contested. No independent ruling cited in the reviewed material has established Reese’s version of that encounter as fact.
The judge was expected to consider the arguments before ruling on Reese’s self-defense request. As of Sept. 5, no reliable source reviewed for this report showed that a final ruling had been issued. Reese remains accused of first-degree murder, and the charge has not been established as guilt at trial.
Author note: Last updated September 5, 2026.