Detective breaks down while testifying in robbery trial

Wislyn Joseph testifies in Willie Barney's trial

MIAMI – A Miami-Dade police detective broke down while testifying again in the trial of a man accused of shooting him during a gold chain robbery.

Tears forced Wislyn Joseph out of the courtroom Thursday as he testified against Willie Barney.

Joseph testified in the first trial, but Barney was granted a retrial over an issue with a juror. He also testified in an earlier hearing.

The emotional testimony caused defense attorneys to question whether he was crying for sympathy.

"The fact that the detective broke down and cried, you have to put it out of your mind," Miami-Dade Circuit Court Judge Jorge Rodrigez-Chomat told jurors.

Barney shot Joseph in the chest outside a church in Miami's Little Haiti neighborhood on Sept. 22, 2012, according to prosecutors. Barney and two others robbed Joseph of his gold bracelet and his gold chain his late grandmother left him.

Jurors heard Joseph had his dad do first aid.

"It exited through my ribcage, lifted my shirt, [I] realized blood was pumping out like this," he said.

Jurors also heard the 911 calls Joseph made after the shooting, as he gave the descriptions that led to the arrests.

Investigators have linked Barney and two others to several other gold chain robberies.

"Two days after the incident, you described all three of these fellows as light-skinned black males, correct?" asked Barney's defense attorney.

Barney is dark skinned. Joseph testified he gave that description, but later identified Barney as the man who shot him.

Closing arguments begin Friday.