Courtney Schulhoff

Case record

Background

Courtney Christine Schulhoff was born on December 27, 1987 in Washington, D.C. She lived in Altamonte Springs, Florida with her father after her parents divorced. She attended Lyman High School but had dropped out and was pursuing her GED.

Her father, Steven Schulhoff, lived in an apartment in Altamonte Springs, Florida. His girlfriend, Elaine Bouck, had been dating him for four months at the time of the murder.

Courtney met her boyfriend, Michael Lawrence Morin, when she was 15. Michael was 20 years old and was on probation for car theft. Courtney’s father did not approve of their relationship, and Courtney told Michael that her father had physically abused her.

The offence

During the early morning hours of February 10, 2004, Steven Schulhoff was beaten to death inside his apartment.

Courtney’s father was killed in his Altamonte Springs apartment, and prosecutors said he was beaten with a baseball bat. Courtney and Michael Morin were later apprehended after Steven’s girlfriend, Elaine Bouck, called 911.

After the murder, Courtney and Michael reportedly drove to a McDonald's 20 miles away in Orlando, Florida using Stephen’s truck. Later in the afternoon, Courtney and Michael returned to the apartment. Michael later said that he and Courtney had planned to take Stephen’s body to Brevard County and throw it off a bridge.

Courts proceedings established that Courtney did not always get along with her father and that prosecutors alleged she was angry at him for cutting off access to his credit cards. The prosecution alleged that Courtney hatched a scheme to murder her father, that she supplied the bat, and that she convinced Michael Morin to use it.

At trial opening, prosecutors described Courtney as having placed the baseball bat outside the room for Michael and having gotten a change of clothes for Michael so he would not get his own clothes bloody.

In statements to police shortly after the murder, Courtney’s accounts and Michael’s accounts differed on which of them was inside the apartment during the beating. Courtney stated she waited at the apartment complex tennis courts while Michael committed the murder, and she admitted to leaving the Louisville Slugger baseball bat outside the bedroom door. Michael claimed he had tried to talk Courtney out of killing her father.

In later sworn statements and deposition testimony described in the case narrative, Courtney said she was angry with her father and alleged abuse and other circumstances, and she asserted that she bludgeoned her father to death with the baseball bat. In that later version, Courtney said she had gotten the family greyhound out of the house, put on baggy clothes, grabbed her father’s aluminum Louisville Slugger bat, and beat him to death while he slept. She said he did not wake up and did not resist.

The narrative also described that Courtney told attorneys: "I hit my dad with a baseball bat." When asked how many times, she said: "I don't know. I wasn't really counting." When asked where Michael was, she said: "Outside with the dog." When asked if she was telling jurors that she was the one who killed her father, she said: "Yes."

The narrative further described that Courtney’s later deposition included a description of a sound: "like a gurgling," and that she said Michael came inside a few minutes later, ran to the bathroom, and threw up. She also said Michael tried to talk her into calling the police, but she refused.

Investigation and arrest

A friend discovered Steven Schulhoff’s body at his condo in the Crane’s Roost Village condominium area. Police believe Morin carried out the plan and beat Steven Schuloff to death with a baseball bat.

Investigators pieced together what they believed happened inside Steven Schulhoff’s Crane’s Roost Village condominium.

Authorities said the body was found at his condo Tuesday, and that Courtney Schulhoff and Michael Morin were now in jail. Court-related narrative also described that Morin was taken into custody after a chase that went through the Renaissance Shopping Center and into the Pier 1 store and then a movie theatre.

Courtney was in the custody of juvenile authorities at the time of the initial descriptions, while Morin was in the Seminole County jail without bond. Courtney later surrendered accompanied by her mother.

The narrative included that police were still searching for two people who reportedly gave Courtney Schulhoff a ride from the mall to help them piece together a timeline of the alleged crime.

Michael Morin was arrested later that day, and the narrative stated that he had Steven Schulhoff’s wallet, car keys and cell phone. Courtney, accompanied by her mother, surrendered the same day.

After the murder, Courtney told police that her father beat her two days before the slaying and that she and Morin plotted to kill him. She said they wanted to use a gun but could not afford one. She also said she talked Morin out of the slaying, but that when they went to the apartment, Morin grew angry again. Courtney said she left to walk the dog and returned about 20 minutes later to find her father dead.

The narrative stated that in Michael Morin’s account shortly after arrest, he told Altamonte Springs police that Steven Schulhoff had found out that his daughter was using his credit cards for online purchases, so he cut her off. It also stated Morin told police that Courtney’s father mentally and physically abused his daughter, forbade the young couple to see each other, and that he tried to talk her out of killing her father. It said that after Courtney placed the baseball bat outside her father’s bedroom door, Morin walked inside, picked it up, blacked out, came to covered with blood, and found Steven Schulhoff dead.

The narrative also described that Morin said he rolled the body in a blanket and put it in the garbage can.

The narrative included a quote attributed to Courtney Schulhoff’s earlier police statement: "I begged him not to, oh my God," according to a transcript of her police statement.

In early accounts described in the narrative, Steven Schulhoff’s girlfriend Elaine Bouck told the judge that the victim "was one of the most wonderful people I've ever met." She added: "He deserves to be remembered,".

Medical evidence described in the narrative said Steven Schulhoff was hit at least three times and suffered massive injuries to the left side of his head, according to former Volusia County Medical Examiner Thomas Beaver.

Charges and indictments

The grand jury issued first-degree premeditated murder indictments for the bludgeoning death of Courtney’s father, Steven Schulhoff, in a Feb. 10, 2004 slaying.

Courtney Christine Schulhoff and Michael Lawrence Morin were indicted. Assistant State Attorney Pat Whitaker said the grand jury heard from four law enforcement witnesses and one lay witness before returning the indictment. Both defendants were held in the Seminole County Jail.

Courtney Schulhoff was indicted as an adult and would face the murder charge in adult court.

Trial

Court proceedings before sentencing

Courtney was the first of the defendants to stand trial. Her trial began on September 26, 2006.

Prosecutors alleged that although Michael Morin had committed the murder, Courtney had made it all happen.

Courtney did not testify in her own defense at the trial.

The jury found Courtney guilty of first-degree murder on the next day. The narrative stated the jury deliberated three hours before returning the guilty verdict.

Courtney was found guilty and, because she was only 16 when the murder was committed, she was ineligible for the death penalty.

In the trial narrative, Courtney was dressed in a pinstripe blazer and shackled at the waist. A clerk read the verdict. The narrative stated Courtney showed no emotion as the verdict was read.

The defense did not offer an opening statement to the jury. The narrative stated the defense attorneys opted not to give an opening statement or call any witnesses on Courtney’s behalf.

In summations, the defense argued that the prosecution had not proven its case beyond a reasonable doubt, and they stopped short of saying Morin acted alone.

Courtney did not have her mother or other family members attend the trial. It stated neither her mother, who was divorced from her father, nor any family members attended the trial. It also stated Steve Schulhoff's girlfriend Elaine Bouck attended and spoke to the judge.

Sentencing statement in open court

After the judge handed down the sentence, Courtney spoke out in open court. The narrative quoted her statement verbatim:

"Your Honor, I would like to openly admit in court that Michael Morin is not the person who killed my father. I was. So, I accept full responsibility, and I accept the verdict."

The narrative stated the judge sentenced her to life without parole on September 27, 2006.

Sentencing

On September 27, 2006, Courtney Schulhoff was sentenced to life without the possibility of parole. The punishment was described in the narrative as the mandatory punishment for first-degree murder.

After the prosecutor reminded the judge to give her credit for time served in the county jail, the narrative stated she rolled her eyes.

Appeals

No appeals were described in the provided case narrative.

Outcome and related proceedings

Courtney Schulhoff’s murder trial outcome was a conviction for first-degree murder and a life without parole sentence.

Michael Morin’s murder trial began in 2007. The narrative said Morin was facing a death sentence if convicted and that he was sentenced to life in prison without parole, serving his sentence at the Taylor Correctional Institution.

In the narrative, Courtney also testified in Michael Morin’s defense. It described that she had given a new deposition after her conviction and stated that she was the one who had bludgeoned Steven Schulhoff to death with the baseball bat.

The narrative included commentary on her statement’s impact and included a quote attributed to Assistant State Attorney Jim Carter regarding disclosure to Morin’s attorney:

"I have an ethical obligation to disclose this to Mr. Morin's attorney and I will,"

The narrative also described defense attorney Jeff Dowdy saying that Courtney Schulhoff would give jurors a new version of events, and it stated she provided her new account in a sworn statement Nov. 9, two months after her conviction. The narrative included a date reference for the Orlando Sentinel report by Renee Stutzman dated April 4, 2007.

A separate account described the immediate period before Courtney’s sentencing, stating that moments after a jury found her guilty of helping her boyfriend murder her father, Courtney acknowledged her guilt but insisted her lover was innocent. It quoted her statement to the judge as a dramatic statement made as the judge prepared to sentence her.

The narrative identified a judge as O. H. Eaton, and it stated Courtney told Seminole Circuit Court Judge O. H. Eaton: "Your honor, I would like to openly admit Michael Morin is not the person who killed my father. I was.

It also stated that Morin was listed as a next trial after Courtney and described prosecutors’ contention that Morin wielded the bat while Courtney urged him to kill her father who forbade their relationship. The narrative stated prosecutors claimed Courtney provided Morin with the murder weapon.

Other details

The narrative described that Courtney was 16 years old at the time of the murder, and that she was facing a lifetime in prison when her trial opened. It also described her as 18 at the sentencing statement and 19 at the time of the Orlando Sentinel account.

It stated that Courtney and Michael Morin were out of jail in a car-theft case when they returned to the apartment to get her father’s wallet. The narrative said that Courtney’s later version of events included that they ran out of money, so they went back to the apartment to get her father’s wallet, and that she decided to kill her father without telling Morin.

It also stated that the court narrative included that Courtney’s trial lasted a two-day period, described as a two-day trial.

The narrative stated that a jury consisted of seven women and five men.

The narrative stated that Courtney told the judge she accepted full responsibility and the verdict, and that her father was named Steven Schulhoff in several places.

Court-related narrative included that the prosecution wanted to seek the death penalty for Courtney but did not because she was too young, and planned to seek the death penalty when Morin went on trial.

It also stated that it was not clear whether Morin would testify against Courtney during her trial.

A Local 6 News account described that Steven Schulhoff's body was stuffed inside a big plastic garbage can and left at the scene of the crime, and that his body was stuffed inside a storage container.

That account also described that Courtney told investigators her father beat her Sunday, prompting her and Morin to come up with a plan to kill him.

The narratives included courtroom demeanor descriptions, including that Courtney appeared to wipe away tears at one moment and then resumed a stony demeanor.