Results 1 to 7 of 7

Thread: Donte Jermaine Hall - Florida

  1. #1
    Guest
    Join Date
    Oct 2010
    Posts
    5,534

    Donte Jermaine Hall - Florida


    Kison Evans, 32


    Anthony Bernard Blunt, 35




    Summary of Offense:

    The AK-47-toting, ringleading identical twin who masterminded a robbery at a party full of strippers that left two men dead was sentenced to death.

    A Lake County jury in April 2009 found Donte Jermaine Hall guilty of capital murder in the shooting deaths of Anthony Blunt, 35, and Keson "Little Mule" Evans, 32, stemming from a Eustis party in 2006. The same jury recommended the death sentence in Blunt's killing, and Judge T. Michael Johnson agreed. Johnson also followed the jurors' recommendation in giving Hall life in Evans' killing.

    Hall was sentenced to death in Lake County on December 9, 2009.

  2. #2
    Guest
    Join Date
    Oct 2010
    Posts
    5,534
    December 10, 2009

    Donte Hall gets death penalty

    TAVARES -- The AK-47-toting, ringleading identical twin who shot two men to death during a robbery at a party full of strippers was sentenced to death Wednesday.

    A Lake County jury in April found Donte Jeremain Hall, 24, guilty of capital murder in the September 2006 shooting deaths of Anthony Blunt, 35, and Keson "Little Mule" Evans, 32.

    The same jury recommended the death sentence for Blunt's murder, and that was approved during a hearing Wednesday by Judge T. Michael Johnson.

    Johnson said his personal feelings presented questions surrounding the fairness of the death sentence for anyone. But he called Blunt's murder "atrocious" and "heinous."

    "I believe the jury was right in their recommendation," he said shortly before announcing his decision.

    Bill Gross, assistant state attorney, had argued during the April trial that Blunt lay in excruciating pain for about 30 minutes before he lapsed into a coma and died.

    A Eustis police officer testified that Blunt was shaking and moving around and crying "I don't want to die."

    Ironically, Blunt had written his own obit and funeral program for an assignment in a religion class at Bethune Cookman College in the early 1990s. According to papers from the class, he had predicted he would die in September 2022, about 16 years after he actually died.

    Eleanor Pursley, Blunt's sister, said outside the courtroom after Wednesday's hearing that she was grateful for the death sentence, adding her brother "didn't even have any money on him" at the party.

    "They shot a man in the midst of praying," Pursley said.

    Johnson also followed the jurors' recommendation in giving Hall life for the murder of Evans. Aline Evans, the victim's sister, failed to persuade the judge to reject the jury's recommendation of life in her brother's killing and go with death.

    "He took something from me that I will never get back," said Evans. "His family can go see him... I have to go to the cemetery to visit Keson."

    But after the sentencing, the Evans family, including the victim's mother, Mary Evans, said they were pleased with the outcome.

    "It would have been nice for him (Hall) to get death in my son's killing, but it really doesn't matter," said Mary Evans. "He got the death penalty and he won't be around long."

    Hall stood by solemnly during the entire sentencing hearing. Neither he nor his lawyer, Edwin Mills, offered any argument in an attempt to spare the defendant's life.

    Mills said outside the courtroom that Hall had expected the death sentence beforehand and decided not to fight it.

    Gross said a number of automatic appeals will follow. He predicted it would take at least 15 years before Hall would die of lethal injection.

    Donte Hall had been accused of crashing the party with his identical twin, Dante James Hall, and two other men at a late-night party at 940 Gottsche Ave. in Eustis on Sept. 9, 2006. It was a party with drugs, drinks, strippers and money on hand. The other two men were never charged.

    Gross said Donte masterminded the robbery and apparently did the job with the help of his girlfriend, Angel Glenn, 21, who was one of three strippers providing the entertainment at the party.

    The men allegedly took money and jewelry, while shooting uncooperative partygoers.

    Evans and Blunt were killed while Joshua Daniel and Willie Shelton were wounded by multiple gunshots.

    Glenn was charged with being a principal to murder, but those charges are expected to be dropped in exchange for her testimony against the brothers.

    Dante Hall will be tried next year on the same murder and robbery charges. His trial twice has ended in a mistrial.

    http://www.dailycommercial.com/local...121009sentence

  3. #3
    Senior Member CnCP Legend JLR's Avatar
    Join Date
    Mar 2011
    Posts
    2,740
    Oral arguments were held on the 5th of May.
    http://www.floridasupremecourt.org/p.../oa05-11.shtml

    You can find the briefs here.
    http://www.floridasupremecourt.org/p...326/index.html

  4. #4
    Administrator Heidi's Avatar
    Join Date
    Oct 2010
    Posts
    33,217
    Donte not to be confused with Dante his twin.

    DONTE JERMAINE HALL vs. THE STATE OF FLORIDA

    Today the Florida Supreme Court AFFIRMED Hall's conviction and death sentence.

    Defendant appealed his conviction for first degree murder and his sentence of death. Defendant claimed that the trial court erred by instructing the jury on finding the heinous, atrocious, or cruel (HAC) aggravator for the murder of the victim and that defendant's death sentence was disproportionate. The court held that the jury instruction on the aggravator was not error when the victim was attending a party, defendant stormed in and demanded money with the threat of firing his AK-47, shot the victim multiple times, and the victim eventually died from the gunshot wounds. The court also concluded that the trial court did not err in finding the HAC aggravator because it was supported by competent substantial evidence. Considering the circumstances, the aggravating and mitigating factors weighed by the trial court, and other cases with similar facts, the court concluded that defendant's death sentence was proportionate. Further, the competent substantial evidence presented at trial was sufficient to support defendant's conviction. Therefore, the judgment was affirmed.

  5. #5
    Administrator Heidi's Avatar
    Join Date
    Oct 2010
    Posts
    33,217
    In today's United States Supreme Court orders, Hall's petition for writ of certiorari was DENIED.
    An uninformed opponent is a dangerous opponent.

    "Y'all be makin shit up" ~ Markeith Loyd

  6. #6
    Administrator Heidi's Avatar
    Join Date
    Oct 2010
    Posts
    33,217
    Identicial twin and death row inmate seeks new trial

    An identical twin sent to death row for bursting into a Eustis house filled with female strippers and robbing and opening fire on the male party-goers – killing two -- was back at the Lake County courtroom Thursday for a hearing to seek a new trial.

    Brothers Donte and Dante Hall, 30, were convicted in separate trials of murder, attempted murder, armed robbery, burglary and other charges that stemmed from the 2006 home invasion.

    Donte, the ring leader and triggerman who touted an AK-47 and quick temper into the party, was sentenced to life in one murder and death in the other during his 2009 trial. Dante, who had a different set of lawyers from his brother in his 2010 trial, was given two life sentences.

    Donte’s team of special state post-conviction attorneys filed a motion for a new trial and during Thursday's hearing argued the defendant’s lawyers during his trial and sentencing were ineffective – citing for one they didn’t bring up signs of the defendant’s prior head injuries that may have led to the violence on that Sept. 9, 2006 day.

    Four male party-goers were shot, including Anthony Bernard Blunt, 35, of Mount Dora and Kison Evans, 32, of Tavares who were killed.

    The defense team also argued Thursday that the trial lawyers didn’t do enough to find and speak with Donte’s family members to help build his defense. And they allowed one of the murder victims – who had been charged with lewd and lascivious conduct – to be painted as a good guy, unlike in Dante’s trial.

    “Decisions have to be informed,” said attorney Rich Kiley to the Judge Don Briggs.

    Witnesses called to the stand included Frank Bankowitz, one of Donte’s two trial lawyers; Patrick Laster, the twins’ older brother who helped raised them; and Dr. Michael Maher, a new doctor brought into the case who testified Thursday about head injuries the defendant sustained during what Laster called a tough childhood.

    Laster testified that because he himself has a criminal history he was somewhat familiar with the law and suggested to his brother’s trial lawyers to submit certain evidence into the trial, but he said they wouldn’t listen nor allow him to go on the stand.

    But Bankowitz said on the stand that he had difficulty reaching and talking with Hall’s family members.

    “The mother was very uncooperative,” he said.

    Thursday’s prosecution team included Lake County assistant state attorney Rich Buxman and Assistant Attorney General Stacey Kircher, who argued there were no signs of previous head trauma.

    There was no time table set for Briggs to rule on the defense’s request.

    According to court records and testimony from the trials of both defendants, four armed and masked men burst into house that was filled with a number of men, strippers, drinks and drugs in a home invasion robbery that Donte’s then girlfriend and stripper Angel Glenn admitted during the trial to help staging.

    Dante did most of the talking but Donte allegedly told the male party-goers he was going to “make this choppa (AK) dance” if they didn’t give up their money and started shooting when he believed Evans had sent him on a wild goose chase into a bedroom for money.

    The suspects left the home with jewelry, at least $1,500 in cash and five men shot. Evans and Blunt died from their gunshot wounds.

    The strippers were together but apparently two were unaware the robbery was going to take place and one informed police who she thought was involved – which led detectives to the Hall brothers.

    Glenn was a key witness against both brothers during their trials and was given 10 years for her role in the home invasion as part of a plea deal.

    http://www.dailycommercial.com/news/...d2111cc48.html
    An uninformed opponent is a dangerous opponent.

    "Y'all be makin shit up" ~ Markeith Loyd

  7. #7
    Administrator Helen's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2013
    Location
    Toronto, Ontario, Canada
    Posts
    20,875
    Death penalty thrown out, new hearing ordered for man who killed 2 in Lake County

    By Susan Jacobson
    Orlando Sentinel

    In Orlando man on Thursday became the latest death-row inmate to get a chance at life.

    The Florida Supreme Court threw out a death sentence for Donte Hall, 32, and sent the case back to a trial court. He will receive a new sentencing hearing because a jury’s death-penalty recommendation was not unanimous.

    Florida law, in the wake of a 2016 Florida Supreme Court decision, was changed in March to require juries to unanimously recommend a death sentence. The court said death sentences finalized before June 2002 would stand, allowing those sentenced afterward to appeal.

    Hall shot Anthony Blunt, 35, of Mount Dora, a caseworker for the Florida Department of Children and Families, and Kison Evans, 32, a Tavares father of 10, to death with an AK-47 in September 2006 during a robbery at a house party in Eustis.

    The jury in April 2009 voted in favor of death, 8-4.

    Hall’s twin brother, Dante Hall, is serving life in prison for his role in the murders.

    The only two legal penalties for first-degree murder in Florida are life in prison and execution.

    On Wednesday, Volusia Circuit Judge Randell H. Rowe III threw out the death-penalty convictions for “Xbox killers” Troy Victorino, 40, and Jerone Hunter, 31, and said he would preside over new sentencing hearings.

    They killed six people and a dog in August 2004 in a home in Deltona, partly because of a dispute over the video-game system. The number of jurors who recommended death varied by victim.

    On June 8, the Florida Supreme Court granted Bessman Okafor, 32, a new sentencing hearing.

    He killed Alex Zaldivar, 19, in September 2012 at Zaldivar’s home in Ocoee because Zaldivar was planning to testify against Okafor in a home-invasion case. That jury vote was 11-1.

    http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/...615-story.html
    "I realize this may sound harsh, but as a father and former lawman, I really don't care if it's by lethal injection, by the electric chair, firing squad, hanging, the guillotine or being fed to the lions."
    - Oklahoma Rep. Mike Christian

    "There are some people who just do not deserve to live,"
    - Rev. Richard Hawke

    “There are lots of extremely smug and self-satisfied people in what would be deemed lower down in society, who also deserve to be pulled up. In a proper free society, you should be allowed to make jokes about absolutely anything.”
    - Rowan Atkinson

Thread Information

Users Browsing this Thread

There are currently 1 users browsing this thread. (0 members and 1 guests)

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •