Summary of Offense:
Daniel Conahan was convicted and sentenced to death for the kidnapping and premeditated murder of Richard Montgomery. Richard Montgomery was last seen by his friends on April 16, 1996. Montgomery said that he was going out to make a few hundred dollars and would return shortly. When asked if whether this money-making activity was legal, Montgomery smirked and said nothing. In a previous conversation with his mother, Montgomery told her that someone offered him $200 to pose for nude pictures, but declined to tell her who made the offer. In the same conversation, Montgomery told her he met a new friend, Daniel Conahan, who was a nurse living in Punta Gorda. The next day, two Charlotte County Utility Engineers discovered a human skull in a wooded area off Highway 41.
Police officers called to the scene discovered the nude body of Montgomery. His body displayed neck, wrist and waist trauma consistent with ligature or bondage marks. Also, Montgomery’s penis had been amputated postmortem. Crime scene investigators collected a rope, a carpet pad used to cover Montgomery’s body, a skull and torso (belonging to another individual), a gray coat and numerous combings. A K-9 dog, trained to detect human scent, was called to the scene and showed particular interest in a palm tree, which was flattened or otherwise damaged on one side. Autopsy reports concluded that Montgomery died as a result of strangulation and the ligature marks covering his body were consistent with being tied to a tree.
Due to the unique modus operandi of this case, police reviewed a similar assault reported two years earlier. Stanley Burden reported that Daniel Conahan offered to pay him $100 to $150 to pose for nude bondage photographs. Burden agreed and Conahan drove the two of them to a wooded location. After taking several pictures, Conahan pulled out a rope and tied Burden to a tree. While restrained, Conahan performed oral sex on Burden and attempted to have anal sex with him. Burden resisted by positioning his back side up against the tree. Conahan placed the rope around Burden’s neck and unsuccessfully tried to strangle him for half an hour. Conahan asked Burden why he would not die and Conahan finally gave up. Burden freed himself and reported the incident to the police. The police located the crime scene and found a tree with markings that corroborated Burden’s injuries and story.
At that time, police began an undercover investigation of Daniel Conahan. Following his arrest, Conahan was indicted for the kidnapping, sexual battery and murder of Montgomery. Conahan waived his right to a trial by jury. During the guilt phase, the State presented evidence that, on the day of Montgomery’s disappearance, Conahan’s credit card was used to buy rope, Polaroid Film, pliers and a knife.
Conahan was sentenced to death in Charlotte County on December 19, 1999.
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