True Crime Stories

  You have heard me often say that I am neither a huge advocate for or against the death penalty. I think there should be clear and absolute proof that the defendant is guilty before they are sentenced to death. But, I also think when that is proven and it is an exceptionally gruesome crime then the death penalty is warranted. This case falls into the latter category to the point that I am almost appalled that the jury did not recommend death. This case took place in Florida and most states, as does Florida, require that the jury be unanimous in their recommendation for death. Adam Matos was charged with four murders. For three of them the jury were 10-2 for death and for the forth they were 11-1. If a jury recommends death a judge can instead give life with or without parole, but if they do not recommend death a judge cannot override that and sentence the defendant to death. When he was sentenced to four counts of life without the possibility of parole the judge made sure...

I am the mother of now two grown boys. My oldest never gave me much trouble growing up, which was just fine considering the younger one seemed sometimes to be a trouble magnet. Now, I am not one of those mothers who believed her child was always innocent, I knew better. But also learned that with the growing reputation every time something happened in the neighborhood it seemed as if the police were at my door. Most of it was petty things but it was still aggravating. This had come about because he done something more serious that had garnered him probation when he was fourteen, the same age Davontae Sanford was when he was charged with four counts of murder. With the incident with my son, first the officer lied as to why they asked my husband and I to bring our son to the police station. On the way there my son confession to breaking into the garage of a nearby summer home and taking some things. Once at the station the officer took my husband and I aside and admit...