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Florida jury awards $700 million to murder victim's parents

Aaron Doty
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SEBRING, Fla. (AP) — A jury is awarding $700 million to the parents of a Florida man who died after being beaten unconscious and then set on fire while still alive.

The jury reached its verdict Monday in the wrongful death lawsuit filed by the parents of Aaron Doty, who was killed in June 2012 in Highlands County.

Collecting the award might be difficult. The verdict was against Jonathan Ray Rodriguez and Kenneth Edward Felipe, who were convicted of Doty's murder in 2015. Both are serving two life sentences each on kidnapping and murder convictions.

Investigators said the men were at a party when Felipe punched Doty. Rodriguez then beat him unconscious. The men set him on fire hours later when Doty was unconscious but still alive.