Sean Bush—black, age 42
Sentenced in St. Johns County, Florida
By: a judge after a unanimous jury recommendation
Date of Crime: 5/31/11
Prosecution’s case/defense response: Bush killed his ex-wife by shooting her six times, stabbing her, and beating her with a baseball bat. The defense presented evidence that Bush had been raised in terrible circumstances by a drug-addicted mother, and that he had been abused and sexually assaulted growing up on the streets.
Sources: St. Augustine Record 8/17//17 (2017 WLNR 25469508), 12/21/17 (2017 WLNR 39632025)
Mesac Damas—black, age 33
Sentenced in Collier County, Florida
By: a judge after defendant waived a jury
Date of Crime: 9/9/09
Prosecution’s case/defense response: After his wife threatened divorce and taking custody of their five minor children, Damas killed her and the children by slitting their throats. Damas refused to allow his attorneys to present mitigating evidence, although the sentencing judge knew from Damas’s statement to the police that he claimed to have heard voices the night of the killings and that “bad spirits” had made him kill.
Sources: News-Press (Ft. Meyers) 10/28/17 (2017 WLNR 33533232)
Shawn Rogers—black, age 42
Sentenced in Santa Rosa County, Florida
By: a judge after a unanimous jury recommendation
Date of Crime: 3/2012
Prosecution’s case/defense response: Rogers bound, beat, and stabbed his cellmate to death. Rogers was already serving a life sentence for armed robbery and battery, and had a history of assaulting other inmates. The defense presented evidence that Rogers had bounced among seven foster homes by age 9; and that he suffered from toxic stress disorder that made him less capable of controlling his impulses and making rational decisions.
Sources: Pensacola News Journal 11/4/17 (2017 WLNR 34439006), Crestview News Bulletin 12/19/17 (2017 WLNR 39301773)