Mark Dean Schwab

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Mark Dean Schwab
Mark Dean Schwab.jpg
Born(1968-12-16)December 16, 1968
Dover, Ohio, U.S.
DiedJuly 1, 2008(2008-07-01) (aged 39)
Florida State Prison, Raiford, Florida, U.S.
Criminal statusExecuted by lethal injection
Conviction(s)First degree murder, kidnapping, sexual battery
Criminal penaltyDeath sentence

Mark Dean Schwab (December 16, 1968 – July 1, 2008) was an American prisoner in the state of Florida, where he was executed for the April 18, 1991 rape and murder of 11-year-old Junny Rios-Martinez, Jr.[1] Schwab was convicted of the crime in 1992 and sentenced to death. In addition, he received two life sentences.

The crimes and arrest[]

Schwab was released from prison on March 4, 1991, after serving three years of an eight-year sentence for the aggravated rape of a 13-year-old boy committed in 1987. The rest of his sentence was commuted and he was placed on 15 years of probation.

A month later, Cocoa resident Junny Rios-Martinez, Jr. went missing. Schwab had seen Junny's picture in the March 21, 1991 edition of Florida Today. He became friendly with the boy and his family, introducing himself as an associate of Malcom Denemark from that newspaper. After getting to know Junny, Schwab exploited his interest in surfing by saying he had left Florida Today for a job at a surfing magazine. On April 18, 1991, Junny was spotted getting into a U-Haul truck.

On April 20, 1991, Schwab called his aunt in Ohio, claiming a man named "Donald" forced him to kidnap and rape Junny, under threat of killing Junny's mother, Vicki. The next day, police tapped a phone call with Schwab's aunt's permission, and determined Schwab's location. Schwab was arrested, and led police to Junny's dead body, found in Canaveral Groves, a rural area of Brevard County, Florida in a footlocker that was "nearly shut" covered in palm fronds, debris, and wrapped in rope.[2]

Trial[]

On May 15, 1991, Schwab appeared in a state court in Brevard County, pleading not guilty to charges of first-degree murder, kidnapping a child under age 13 and sexual assault of a child under age 13. Prosecutors sought the death penalty. Schwab waived his right to a jury trial, and was convicted on May 22, 1992. At trial, witnesses had testified that Schwab was raped at gunpoint by a friend's father as a child.[3] On July 1, 1992, he was sentenced to death for the murder, and given two life sentences for the kidnapping and sexual battery of a child under the age of 13. In addition, his probation was revoked on the previous rape conviction, and he was re-sentenced to an additional life sentence, giving him a total of three life sentences.

The case led to the passage of the Junny Rios-Martinez, Jr., Act of 1992, which prohibited those convicted of sexual battery from receiving early release in the state of Florida.

In prison[]

Schwab's Florida Department of Corrections prisoner number was 111129.[4] After his sentence, he was housed at Florida State Prison in Starke, Florida.

Stays of execution[]

On December 15, 2006, Governor Jeb Bush suspended all pending executions until further notice after the execution of Ángel Nieves Díaz had taken much longer than usual.[5] This ban was lifted when the new Governor of Florida, Charlie Crist, signed Schwab's death warrant on July 18, 2007.[6] Schwab was then transferred to Florida State Prison. He was scheduled for execution by means of lethal injection on November 15, 2007, at 6:00 p.m. EST. However, federal judge Anne C. Conway granted a stay of execution on November 14.[7] On November 15, the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that the execution could proceed,[8][9] but the United States Supreme Court blocked the execution later that same day pending a Kentucky case that challenged the three-drug combination used for lethal injection in both Florida and Kentucky.[10][11][12]

The Supreme Court upheld Kentucky's death penalty on April 16, 2008, by a vote of 7 to 2.[13] Crist signed a new death warrant for Schwab the next day, without a date for execution. On May 19, the Supreme Court specifically denied Schwab's appeal, permitting Crist to reschedule the execution.[14] Schwab's final appeal to the Florida Supreme Court was denied because similar claims had already been declined by the Supreme Court.[15]

Death[]

Schwab was executed by lethal injection on July 1, 2008, and pronounced dead at 6:15 pm.[16] He declined to make a last statement.[17]

See also[]

References[]

  1. ^ "People's Thoughts, Talk Turn To Missing Boy, His Family - Orlando Sentinel". Articles.orlandosentinel.com. 1991-04-24. Retrieved 2012-08-24.
  2. ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2012-03-19. Retrieved 2013-06-23.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  3. ^ "Mark Dean Schwab v. State of Florida" (PDF). Supreme Court of Florida. Archived from the original (PDF) on 16 March 2012. Retrieved 21 March 2013.
  4. ^ "Inmate Population Information Detail - Inmate 111129". Florida Department of Corrections. Archived from the original on 2001-06-09. Retrieved 2007-11-14.
  5. ^ Shawl, Jeannie (2006-12-15). "Florida governor suspends all executions after botched lethal injection". Jurist - Legal News & Research. Archived from the original on 2007-12-09. Retrieved 2007-11-14.
  6. ^ Price, Caitlin (2007-07-18). "Florida governor lifts temporary ban on executions". Jurist - Legal News & Research. Archived from the original on 2011-06-29. Retrieved 2007-11-14.
  7. ^ Semple, Kirk (2007-11-15). "Judge Stays Execution, Citing Case Under Review". The New York Times. Retrieved 2007-11-15.
  8. ^ "Mark Dean Schwab v. Secretary, Dept. of Correction" (PDF). United States Court of Appeals, Eleventh Circuit. 2007-11-15. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2008-09-07. Retrieved 2007-11-15.
  9. ^ "Schwab execution can proceed". Bay News 9. 2007-11-15. Archived from the original on 2007-11-16. Retrieved 2007-11-15.
  10. ^ "Supreme Court blocks execution of Florida child killer". Bay News 9. 2007-11-15. Archived from the original on 2007-11-16. Retrieved 2007-11-15.
  11. ^ Wood, Ron (2007-11-15). "Supreme Court blocks execution of child killer". Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved 2007-11-15.
  12. ^ Klas, Mary Ellen (2007-11-16). "Supreme Court halts Florida execution". The Miami Herald. Retrieved 2008-05-17.[dead link]
  13. ^ "Punishment - OrlandoSentinel.com". Archived from the original on 2008-04-20. Retrieved 2008-04-18.
  14. ^ High court: Florida execution can proceed - 05/19/2008 - MiamiHerald.com
  15. ^ Florida Supreme Court denies child killer's last-minute execution appeal - 06/27/2008 - OrlandoSentinel.com
  16. ^ "Death Row Fact Sheet". Florida Department of Corrections. Archived from the original on 2008-06-12. Retrieved 2008-06-29.
  17. ^ "Mark Dean Schwab". Clark County Prosecutor's Office. Retrieved 25 August 2012.

External links[]

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