On Thursday, September 11, 2025, Pensacola News Journal reported that Christian Ketchup’s motion to disqualify Judge Amy Brodersen from his murder trial has been denied. Ketchup is accused of the second-degree murder of Tierra Binion, which allegedly occurred at Mugs & Jugs in 2023. Jury selection is scheduled to begin on September 15.
Ketchup’s motion sought to remove Judge Brodersen from presiding over his case, citing a “bias” that he believed would prevent him from receiving a fair trial and impartial consideration of pretrial rulings. However, Judge Brodersen determined the motion to be legally insufficient.
In his affidavit supporting the motion, Ketchup claimed that Brodersen relied on fabricated evidence, misquoted a Florida statute related to his Stand Your Ground motion, and improperly “faulted” him for exercising his constitutional right to remain silent. He specifically argued that Judge Brodersen intentionally misquoted Florida Statute 790.06(12)(a)12 when denying his Stand Your Ground claim.
Ketchup contended the statute makes it illegal to carry a gun only in “the portion of the establishment” that primarily serves alcohol. He argued that his attorney cited a case confirming it was legal to carry a gun in a parking lot of a place that serves alcohol because alcohol is not served in the parking lot. Ketchup claims that Judge Brodersen ignored the statute’s language requiring the gun to be in the portion of the establishment serving alcohol, which Ketchup believes was not an oversight.
Ketchup also claimed Brodersen improperly held his silence against him, referencing her order that noted he never admitted to shooting Binion or that she reached for a gun before he shot her multiple times when he spoke to law enforcement after his 2023 arrest.
According to Florida Rules of General Practice and Judicial Administration, a judge’s decision to grant or deny a motion for disqualification is based solely on the motion’s legal sufficiency, not the factual claims within it. The rules stipulate that a motion to disqualify must demonstrate a reasonable fear that the party will not receive a fair trial due to specifically described prejudice or bias of the judge, or because the judge has prior personal knowledge of or bias regarding disputed evidentiary facts.
The case stems from an incident on August 23, 2023, at Mugs & Jugs. Ketchup and his girlfriend, Rachel DeRise, were present when a fight broke out in the parking lot. DeRise and Binion began fighting, and Ketchup intervened. Ketchup stated he decided to leave with his girlfriend, but as they were leaving, Binion grabbed him by the shoulder, turned him around, and yelled at him about her gun.
Surveillance video shows a portion of the fight between Binion and DeRise, including Ketchup punching Binion in the face, causing her to fall to the ground, possibly semi-conscious. DeRise then allegedly jumped on Binion and began punching her. Ketchup pulled DeRise off Binion, brandished his firearm, and shot Binion ten times as she lay on the ground. Ketchup confessed to the shooting but claims it was in self-defense. He also claimed that Binion’s boyfriend, Marquis Chapman, threatened him with a firearm during a hearing.
Source: Pensacola News Journal
