Jury sees surveillance video in insurance fraud trial

TAMPA (FOX 13) - Surveillance video could make or break the prosecution’s case against John Lee.

In January 2017, the vehicle of an elderly couple may have come into contact with Lee as he walked through a Winn-Dixie parking lot.

Lee says he was struck and is asking for damages. Lawyers for the elderly couple and their insurance company say Lee targeted them in an attempt to defraud the insurance company.

Surveillance video of the incident, from Winn-Dixie, was shown to jurors Tuesday.

They will now have to decide if what they saw was an accident or deliberate on the part of Lee, who ways he should get $10,000 for pain and suffering.

In the surveillance video, you see John Lee walking toward the store. He stops, appearing to look at his hand or a cell phone. That's when a white car begins to back out of the spot just behind him.

Prosecutors say Lee stopped intentionally, knowing the driver was about to back out.

The prosecution replayed the video multiple times, trying to drive home their point that this was no accident.

However, the defense urged the jury to watch the video frame-by-frame.  

A defense attorney noted Lee's knee buckles when the car contacts the back of his leg.

Later, driver's wife, Barbara Andres was rolled into the courtroom in a wheel chair. She said her husband was too ill to testify.

Barbara, who’s is now 81, says she was in the store during the incident. She said Lee approached her and told her that her husband had hit him with his car.

"He seemed like he was limping but not all the time so I was a little confused," explained Andres.

After an investigation, Andres' insurance company paid up but had a change of heart when the surveillance video surfaced.

The trial is supposed to wrap up Wednesday. It was unclear if Lee would take the stand.