Facts of the Crime:
Dennis Sochor was convicted and sentenced to death for the murder of Patricia Gifford. According to the testimony of Gary Sochor, Dennis Sochor’s brother, he and Dennis met Patricia Gifford, the victim, at a lounge on New Year’s Eve of 1981. When it was time to leave the lounge, Gary said that Dennis and Gifford were kissing while he waited in the truck. Gifford agreed to accompany Gary and Dennis to breakfast. Gary testified that Dennis drove to an isolated area with the victim sitting between the brothers in the truck. Dennis then stopped the vehicle.
Gary claimed that Dennis assaulted Gifford while she screamed for help and that he tried to stop Dennis from assaulting the victim, but Dennis told him to get back in the truck. A short time later, Dennis came back to the truck, and they went home. The next morning, Gary found a woman’s shoe, sweater, and a set of keys in Dennis’ truck. He hid the keys. Later on, Gary noted that the truck had been cleaned and the shoe and sweater had been removed. Gary told Dennis about the keys and then gave the keys to Dennis because he demanded them.
Gary returned to Michigan a few days later. A female friend of the victim, who had accompanied Gifford to the lounge, testified at trial. She testified that they went to the lounge for a New Year’s Eve celebration. The friend became sick during the night, and Gifford, with the help of the Sochor brothers, assisted the friend to her car. Gifford’s friend awoke the next morning, realized that Gifford was missing and called the police. The police acquired a photo from the previous evening that showed Gifford with an unknown man.
The photo was displayed on television, and Dennis Sochor’s roommates testified that Sochor quickly left after seeing the photo of himself sitting near the victim at the bar on television. When the police learned that Gary Sochor had recently returned to Michigan, they interviewed him. Gary told the police that Dennis Sochor was responsible for Gifford’s disappearance. He also agreed to return to Florida to help find Gifford’s body. The police were never able to find Gifford’s body. Dennis Sochor was arrested in Georgia on unrelated charges and extradited to Florida.
Three taped confessions made by Sochor while in police custody were played for the jury. Sochor said that he had met Gifford at the lounge on New Year’s Eve, and they spent the evening talking. In the parking lot, they kissed and Sochor wanted to have sex with Gifford. She, however, refused, and they fought. During the fight, Gifford hit him, and Sochor choked her. Sochor claimed that he thought he killed Gifford and drove to a secluded area to get rid of the body. Dennis said that Gary was not with him during this part of the evening. Dennis Sochor said that he threw away pieces of a woman’s clothing that he found in his truck. After seeing the photo of himself and the victim on television, he drove to Tampa in his employer’s truck and abandoned the truck there. Sochor then went to New Orleans and on to Atlanta. In 1986, Sochor was arrested in Georgia on unrelated criminal charges and then was extradited to Florida.
Sochor was sentenced to death in Broward County on November 2, 1987.
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