Green Cove Springs killer resentenced to death

Clay County Sheriff's Office booking photo of Leo Kaczmar III

GREEN COVE SPRINGS, Fla. – A judge resentenced Leo Kaczmar III to death Friday morning for the 2008 murder of his father's girlfriend, 49-year-old Mary Ruiz.

In December 2008, Kaczmar attacked Ruiz, stabbing her more than 90 times, while he was high on crack cocaine. He then attempted to cover his tracks by setting the house on fire.

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After he was arrested, Kaczmar paid an undercover officer $300 to frame someone else for the murder and to intimidate witnesses in the case.

Kaczmar, 29, was convicted and sentenced to death in 2010 on charges of first-degree murder, attempted sexual battery and first-degree arson.

His case was appealed to the Florida Supreme Court, where the court affirmed his first-degree murder and arson convictions but threw out the sexual battery conviction. The case was then sent back to the Fourth Judicial Circuit for a new sentencing hearing, where a jury unanimously voted to send Kaczmar to Death Row.

On Friday, the judge formally sentenced Kaczmar to death.