Facts of the Crime:
Denise Davidson and her fiancé, Leonardo Cisneros, hired Robert Gordon and Meryl McDonald, to kill Ms. Davidson’s estranged husband, Dr. Louis Davidson. Early on the morning of January 25, 1994, McDonald and Gordon waited in the parking lot of the apartment complex where Dr. Davidson lived. The two were driven by Susan Shore. Gordon met with Dr. Davidson and the two walked to Davidson’s apartment. Dr. Davidson’s body was discovered later that day by his fiancée. His body was blindfolded, bound, gagged, and hog-tied, lying face down in a bathtub full of bloody water.
The apartment had been ransacked, and Davidson’s watch, camera, and money clip were missing, although $19,300 in cash and some credit cards remained. The medical examiner testified that Davidson had bruises on his face and shoulders, three broken ribs, and multiple lacerations on the back of his scalp, caused by a blunt object. The cause of Davidson’s death was drowning. Money transfers from Denise Davidson to McDonald, as well as phone records and physical evidence recovered from the hotel where Gordon and McDonald were staying during the time of the murder, implicated McDonald in the murder scheme.
Gordon was sentenced to death in Pinellas County on November 16, 1995.
Co-defendant information:
Meryl McDonald (DC# 180399)
For his involvement in the murder, McDonald was found guilty of first-degree murder and sentenced to death. For more on McDonald, see: http://www.cncpunishment.com/forums/...meryl+mcdonald
Denise Ann Davidson (DC# 153691)
Davidson was found guilty of first-degree murder in a separate trial. She was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole for 25 years (CC# 94-2958).
Susan Shore
Shore agreed to testify for the State, and as a result, her charges were reduced to Accessory After the Fact. She was sentenced to probation.
Leonardo Cisneros
Cisneros remains a fugitive.
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