Death penalty sought for man indicted in murders of Putnam County boys
PUTNAM COUNTY, Fla. โ The state intends to seek the death penalty for the man accused of killing two young boys in Putnam County, State Attorney R.J. Larizza announced Tuesday afternoon. โIf there was ever a case for the death penalty, this is the one,โ Larizza said Monday. News of the stateโs decision to seek the death penalty quickly spread among Putnam County residents who have been outraged over the killings. It breaks the whole community apart.โโThey need to get the death penalty. Robert and Tayten Baker (Kim Rigney/GoFundMe)The last time there was a Putnam County death penalty case was in 2012 when Timothy Fletcher was sentenced to death after being convicted of first-degree murder in a 2009 killing.
Memorial honors lives of slain Putnam County brothers
PUTNAM COUNTY, Fla. โ Loved ones gathered Friday night to honor the lives of two brothers who were murdered in their Putnam County home. Investigators said Robert Baker and his 14-year-old brother Tayten were killed by Mark Wilson Jr., their auntโs boyfriend. Brother of slain Putnam County boys: โI have 2 more guardian angelsโRobert would have turned 13 years old Friday, and family and friends gathered at Little Rain Lake Park in Keystone Heights to mark the occasion. RELATED: Witness: Suspect confesses plot to kill slain Putnam County boys' familyWilson is charged with two counts of first-degree murder. The family had only lived in their Melrose home for roughly two weeks before the boys were killed.
Witness: Suspect confesses plot to kill slain Putnam County boys' family
MELROSE, Fla. โ The man accused of killing two young boys in Putnam County said he and the boysโ aunt had plotted to kill the entire family, according to a warrant from the Putnam County Sheriffโs Office. A day after the bodies of the boys were found surrounded by blood, the Putnam County Sheriffโs Office set up a controlled meeting with Wilson and a witness. The plan, Wilson told the witness, was for the aunt to kill the mother and the 4-year-old, he said, and Wilson would kill the boys. The boysโ aunt has not been charged in the case. The boys' mother found their bodies when she woke up, the agency said.
Former neighbors organize vigil for slain Putnam County boys
POLK COUNTY, Fla. โ Friends and loved ones gathered Wednesday evening to remember two brothers who were killed last week in their Melrose home. The vigil in honor of Robert Baker, 12, and Tayten Baker, 14, was held in Mulberry in Polk County, where the family lived before recently moving to Putnam County. The vigil was organized by the familyโs former neighbors, including Chelsea Coyner. Dozens of former teammates, classmates and neighbors attended the vigil. Mark Wilson Jr., 30, who was identified as the boyfriend of the boysโ aunt, is charged with first-degree murder in the boysโ deaths.
Putnam County deputies meet with mental health professional after murders of 2 boys
PUTNAM COUNTY, Fla. โ Putnam County deputies have been suffering from whatโs described as a form of post-traumatic stress disorder after the murders of two children. According to the Putnam County Sheriffโs Office, Mark Wilson Jr., 30, used a knife and a hammer to kill Robert Baker, 12, and Tayten Baker, 14, last week inside their Melrose home. And itโs definitely that something that can stick with them for a long period of time if not properly managed,โ said Col. Joe Wells, with the Putnam County Sheriffโs Office. โI have scenes in the back of my head that I have experienced during my 24-year career in law enforcement. According to the Putnam County Sheriffโs Office, Wilson is being held without bond and is heavily guarded in isolation.
No bond for man charged in brutal murders of 2 Putnam County boys
MELROSE, Fla. โ A 30-year-old man charged with murder in the killings of two young brothers in Melrose was ordered to be held without bond Saturday morning when he appeared before a Putnam County judge. The Putnam County Sheriffโs Office said Wilson is accused of using a hammer and a knife to take the brothersโ lives. The boysโ mother found their bodies when she woke up on Wednesday morning, the Putnam County Sheriffโs Office said. Putnam County Sheriff Gator DeLoach said the Baker family had moved from Polk County to Putnam County just over two weeks ago to be closer to family and allowed Wilson, the boyfriend of the boysโ aunt, to live in a shed on their property. On the Putnam County jail website, Wilsonโs last address is listed as Newberry, Florida.
โSick monsterโ arrested in murder of 2 Putnam County boys
The Putnam County Sheriffโs Office announced that Mark Wilson Jr. is charged with two counts of first-degree murder in the deaths of 12-year-old Robert Baker and 14-year-old Tayten Baker. The boysโ mother found their bodies when she woke up on Wednesday morning, the Putnam County Sheriffโs Office said. On his Facebook page, Putnam County Sheriff Gator DeLoach wrote: โ...The sick monster responsible for Tayten and Robertโs brutal murder was arrested last night. !โOn the Putnam County jail website, Wilsonโs last address is listed as Newberry, Florida. DeLoach said the Bakers had moved from Polk County to Putnam County just over two weeks ago to be closer to family.