The United States District Court, Middle District of Florida, has denied the latest appeal from Kevin Foster, who is on death row, for the murder of Mark Schwebes, a
Riverdale High School music teacher.
He was convicted in 1998 of First Degree Murder and sentenced to death. Foster was the ringleader of the “Lords of Chaos,” a self-proclaimed militia group whose purpose was to create disorder through criminal acts in Lee County.
In April 1996, the victim caught the defendant and other members of the group preparing to vandalize the high school and set the auditorium on fire. He told them to leave and said he would report the incident to the resource officer the following day.
The group, at the direction and insistence of Foster, then planned the murder of the teacher. They went to his home and knocked on the front door. When Mr. Schwebes answered, Foster shot him twice, killing him.
There were three co-defendants at the scene of the crime. Christopher Black and Derek Shields were sentenced to life in prison. Peter Magnotti was sentenced to 32 years in prison.
The Lee County Sheriff’s Office and Fort Myers Police Department both handled elements of the original investigation.
Samantha Syoen – Communications Director, State Attorney’s Office