JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Jurors who took less than 15 minutes to convict a Florida man last week of abducting, raping and killing an 8-year-old girl have now decided he should be executed.
The Jacksonville jury voted unanimously Thursday after about two hours of discussion that 62-year-old Donald Smith should receive the death penalty. If just one of the 12 jurors had voted against execution, Smith would have instead faced life in prison.
Cherish Perrywinkle
CBS affiliate WTEV
During a two-day sentencing phase, experts testified that Smith is a psychopath who lacks control over his impulses. Doctors also described Smith as callous, uncaring, manipulative and lacking empathy.
Smith was convicted last week in the 2013 death of Cherish Perrywinkle, who was abducted from a Walmart store in Jacksonville after he befriended her mother. In tearful testimony during his trial, Rayne Perrywinkle said she thought Smith was a good Samaritan because he had offered to buy her children clothing.
Multiple jurors were crying as they announced their recommendation, and Rayne Perrywinkle sobbed, WJAX’s Bridgette Matter reported via Twitter.
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