Summary of Offense:
Charles Anderson was convicted and sentenced to death for the January 16, 1994 murder of Keinya Smith.
In 1980, Charles Anderson married Edwina. Edwina had a five-year-old daughter from a previous relationship, Keinya Smith. In 1992, authorities discovered that Anderson was sexually abusing Keinya. Anderson was charged with 11 counts of Attempted Capital Sexual Battery and was sentenced to probation. As a condition of his probation, Anderson was not to have any contact with Keinya. If he violated this condition, Anderson faced the possibility of life imprisonment. In violation of his probation, Anderson would continue to see Edwina and Keinya. Witnesses reported that Anderson spent several nights a week at Edwina’s house.
On January 12, 1994, Keinya was late returning home from her job at Publix. A fellow employee, Patrick Allen, gave Keinya a ride home. After dropping Keinya off at home, Allen reported that he was followed by someone in an unidentified vehicle. Allen was able to elude the vehicle that was following him, which he later identified from photographs as Anderson’s car.
On Friday January 14, 1994, Allen drove Keinya home again after work. As Keinya exited the car, Anderson darted toward Allen, which resulted in another chase. Allen fired several gunshots at Anderson while being chased. After returning home, Anderson and Keinya got into boisterous verbal dispute. One neighbor reported hearing Anderson exclaim “You told him. Why was he shooting at me?” to which Keinya stated “I didn’t tell him nothing.” Keinya’s cousin, who was there during the argument, reported seeing Anderson hit Keinya. Keinya then grabbed a knife and called 911. Keinya quickly hung up the phone and, when the operator called back, there was no answer. Keinya locked herself in her room and Edwina and Anderson intercepted the police officer who had been dispatched to their residence. After convincing the officer that everything was all right, Anderson walked into the house where Keinya was hiding and threatened her. He claimed that he was going to wait at Publix for 24 hours and, if he could not get Allen, then he would get her.
Keinya was scheduled to work Saturday January 15, 1994, but did not go in because she was scared. On January 16, 1994, Keinya went to work. Her time card reflected that she left work at 6:01 p.m. Allen reported that he saw Anderson’s car waiting outside of Publix. John Gowdy testified that, on that same evening, he saw someone in the grass median of U.S. 27 at 7:00 p.m. Gowdy noticed the car in front of him pull a u-turn, which he followed. Gowdy reported that the blue/gray four-door car swerved into the median and ran over the person. Anderson owned a two-door dark blue car with a gray top. Amelia Stringer, who was a passenger in Gowdy’s vehicle, also witnessed the car in front of them run over the individual in the median. When authorities arrived at the scene, they found a Publix name badge, which read “Keinya,” some articles of clothing and blood on the pavement near the median. Keinya’s body was found the next day by a fishing camp in the Everglades.
Anderson was interviewed by police about a week after the murder. Initially, he admitted that he picked Keinya up from work on January 16, 1994, but that he did not kill her. Anderson later recanted that statement, claiming he was being “facetious.” Anderson agreed to allow a search of his vehicle, even though authorities had already obtained a search warrant. One of the tires on Anderson’s car matched an impression left at the crime scene and there was damage to the radiator and splash guard. Blood was detected on the undercarriage of the vehicle; however, investigators could not determine whether the blood was human or from an animal. A spot of blood found inside the vehicle was determined to be Keinya’s through DNA analysis. Additionally, several fibers found inside the vehicle matched the clothing that Keinya was wearing when her body was discovered.
Anderson was sentenced to death in Broward County on April 19, 1999.
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