Sean Gathright’s former stepfather Bryan Herrington testified in the sentencing phase of the Julio Foolio capital murder trial today in Tampa, Florida.

Herrington was in the Air Force when Gathright’s mother was in the U.S. Marine Corps, and Gathright lived on military bases as a child.

01:09 “I met Sean in early 2009 when we were stationed in Okinawa, Japan. He was three years old at the time.”
“So you were in the service along with his mother?”
“I was in the Air Force, and she was the Marine Corps.”

01:43 “As a child, he was very vibrant, always inquisitive about things, very good student. He always wanted to learn, even at a young age. Loved sports, particularly football and basketball. We tried to get him involved in everything we possibly could….”

02:26 “Were you involved in any like discipline, or was that mostly left up to his mother?”
“That was left up to the mother, I had no disciplinary privileges whatsoever.”

03:14 “Well, he he’s relatively average football player. We try to, you know, get him to do everything. I tried to get him in baseball. He didn’t really take the baseball, but he really did like football, particularly the Baltimore Ravens, which he referred to, and I don’t mean to embarrass him, but Baltimore Raisins, and so that was always a joy to hear him talk about that.”

04:03 “He did very well in school, very smart. As a matter of fact, when we moved … North Carolina, we were actually trying to get him to skip a grade because he was doing so well, very smart.”

08:16 “You haven’t had much of a relationship or contact with him, but have you, have you spoken at all in over those last few years?”
“Well, unfortunately, not. I wish I would have tried to maintain contact with him.”

08:35 “What about moving forward? Are you open and willing, or do you want to have a relationship with him moving forward?”
“Oh, absolutely. I would love to talk to him every single day if I could and assist him.”

09:13 cross-exam by Assistant State Attorney Michelle Doherty

09:42 “There was no abuse or anything like that in the household?”
“No, ma’am, not at all. That would not be tolerated.”
“And you supported him and offered him advice during that time period?”
“Yes, Ma’am, the best I could.”