BARTOW, Fla. (AP) - A Florida man was sentenced to life in prison Friday for his part in the fatal stabbings of two women.
Polk County Circuit Judge Jalal Harb gave Devonere McCune, 27, two life terms, the Ledger reported. He was convicted last month of second-degree murder. He had previously accepted a plea deal that would have meant 25 years in prison in exchange for testimony against his co-defendants but later backed out.
McCune, Michael Gordon, Terrell Williams and Jovan Lamb robbed Cash America Pawn Shop in Auburndale in January 2015, prosecutors said. McCune was arrested after a shootout with police.
While fleeing, the other three men forced their way into the home of Patricia Moran, 72, and her daughter Deborah Royal, 51. Investigators said Gordon stabbed the women more than 50 times each. Gordon, Williams and Lamb were arrested after trying to flee in the victims’ car.
Even though McCune was already in custody at the time of the slayings, Florida’s felony murder law allows prosecutors to pursue murder charges against those who commit certain violent felonies that lead to someone’s death.
Despite McCune’s refusal to testify, Williams, 34, was sentenced to life in prison in 2018 after being convicted of murder. Gordon, 39, was convicted of murder last year, and jurors unanimously recommended the death penalty.
A trial for Lamb, 34, is set for March 2021.
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