Mark Wilson: Florida man sentenced to death for killing two boys 12, 14 with hammer and slitting throats
Warning: This article contains a recollection of crime and can be triggering to some, readers' discretion advised
MELROSE, FLORIDA: A jury in Florida found Mark Wilson, who is charged with the brutal murder of two boys in 2020, worthy of death penalty after a five-day sentencing trial. Mark Wilson is now scheduled to be executed.
Earlier this month, Wilson was found guilty of first-degree murder for the deaths of his wife's nephews - Robert Baker, 12, and Tatyen Baker, 14, according to NYPost. The boys were beaten with a hammer before having their throats slashed by Wilson, who at the time was residing in a shed on the family's Melrose property with his wife. A Putnam County sheriff had stated that the murder scene at the residence was among the worst he had ever seen.
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"I can tell you, I've been working in the criminal justice system since 1980 and these are some of the most brutal murders that I've ever heard of," State Attorney RJ Larizza had stated during a press conference shortly after the murders. "He attacked these two kids without mercy."
Assistant State Attorney Jennifer Dunton testified in court that it looked like Wilson had repeatedly tried to slit older brother Tayten's throat or sawed through his neck. There are reports claiming that Robert, the younger brother, nearly lost his head after having his throat sliced "end to end."
Prior to the killings, Sarah Baker, the mother of the boys stated in court testimony that she had seen Wilson outside the house polishing a knife that was later identified as the murder weapon. The body of her oldest son was found at the end of an 18-foot blood trail. The blankets that first covered both of the boys reportedly helped to hide the extent of their wounds.
Chrisy Adkins, Wilson's mother, served as a crucial confidential informant in the case and consented to film the exchange with her son that resulted in Wilson's arrest. On the witness stand, she stated, "I told Mark that he needed to cooperate. Take a lie detector test and clear his name."
Adkins continued, "He got out of the bed, and he said, 'Mom, I can't do that,' and I asked if he hurt those babies... and in a voice that wasn't his own, he said, 'Yes, mom, I did it.'" She stated that her son frequently spoke in an odd way, particularly when high on narcotics. Witnesses and police reports indicate that Wilson's wife was also a drug user.
Wilson claimed that he killed the boys because he believed the family would report him and his wife to the Department of Children and Families in the conversation that was recorded and played in court. In a contrary report, Wilson is said to have accused the boys of molesting his daughter. The Putnam County Sheriff's Office issued an arrest warrant after he added that he and his wife had intended to kill the entire family.