Defendant claims to be sovereign citizen in court
TAMPA (FOX 13) - You could tell something was brewing in court when a woman who appeared to be advising murder defendant Orin Biven had an outburst.
"I need to state his sovereignty on record," the woman repeated over and over again.
Hillsborough Judge Kimberly Fernandez ordered the woman removed from the courtroom.
It's the end to an unusual court appearance by Bivens.
It started minutes earlier with his attorney calling his client and then the judge called for him.
But Bivens told the judge he was no longer going by that name or obeying our laws. "My name is Obadiah Bin Ashayah. I am a living sovereign monarch, " he told the Judge.
Attorney Anthony Rickman reviewed the video, "its called a Sovereign Citizen movement. It's a group of people who feel they are not subject to the Federal, and State laws of our country. The judge has no authority over them, " explained Rickman.
Rickman says sovereign citizens make up their own laws and rules, but they may not help him dodge second degree murder charges.
Last summer, investigators say he sought out and killed his ex-wife's new husband during a dispute.
Now Bivens says our laws don't apply to him, "but that's not how this country works. We have laws, we have order, we have rules, " said Rickman.
If Bivens decided to represent himself, Rickman believes a judge will probably assign him legal counsel to follow along in case he needs them to step in during a trial.