Florida prosecutors to seek death for man accused of killing teen boys with knife, hammer
Booking image for Mark Wilson Jr. (Courtesy: Putnam County Sheriff's Office)
MELROSE, Fla. - Prosecutors have decided to seek the death penalty in the case of a 30-year-old Florida man accused of killing two teenage brothers in their home over the summer.
Officials filed a request notifying the court that they plan to pursue the death penalty against Mark Wilson Jr. after a grand jury indicted him Oct. 20 on two counts of first-degree murder, the Gainesville Sun reported.
Wilson is accused of using a hammer and knife to kill 14-year-old Tayten Baker and 12-year-old Robert Baker in their home in August. The teens’ family had recently moved to Melrose, in north Florida, from Polk County.
State Attorney R.J. Larizza said his office consulted with the boys’ family prior to making the decision to seek death for Wilson, the newspaper reported.
Wilson remains in the Putnam County Jail. Rosemarie Peoples, a public defender who represents Wilson, declined comment on the case, the Sun reported.
The boys’ mother found their bodies on Aug. 26. Wilson was arrested about two days later.
Putnam Sheriff Gator DeLoach said the scene was one of the most “horrific” he had ever witnessed.
Wilson was the boyfriend of the boy’s aunt, and the family had allowed them to live in a shed in their backyard, officials said.