WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) - A jury could vote Tuesday on whether a Florida man convicted of killing a woman and her 11-year-old daughter should receive the death penalty.
Marlin Larice Joseph, 28, was found guilty Monday of two counts of first-degree murder for the deaths of Kaladaa Crowell, 36, and Kyra Inglett, 11, news outlets reported. The two were fatally shot Dec. 28, 2017.
During the trial, prosecutors said Joseph was angry about the way Inglett treated his daughter, who was 8. Crowell was dating Joseph’s mother.
Prosecutors also said no one else could be responsible for the deaths.
The defense said Joseph grew up in a close-knit family and had the potential to become a college or professional athlete, but didn’t have sufficient grades. He had two children and then began experiencing delusions and paranoia, defense attorney Sean Wagner said.
Joseph’s legal team did not use an insanity defense in the trial. The case went back and forth between criminal court and mental-health court before Joseph was deemed competent to stand trial last year.
The jury must unanimously agree for Joseph to receive the death penalty. If they do not, Joseph would be sentenced to life in prison, Circuit Judge Cheryl Caracuzzo said.
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