Today defendant Artavistus Lyndrel Ware, 38, was sentenced to life in prison for a Glades
County murder. The Honorable Circuit Judge James D. Sloan sentenced Ware immediately after
the jury returned the recommendation of life in prison following the penalty phase of his murder
trial. The penalty phase of the trial had two and a half days of testimony before the jury
convened to weigh a sentence recommendation of life or the death penalty.
Ware was found guilty as charged by this same jury on April 29, 2021 for one count each of
First-Degree Murder, Conspiracy to Commit Murder, Solicitation to Commit Murder, Burglary
of a Dwelling, and two counts of Tampering with a Witness, Victim, or Informant. The jury
rendered the guilty verdict following a four-day trial in Glades County.
The crimes involve Ware hiring a man to murder a witness in a drug case against him. The
victim was scheduled to testify just before he was shot to death in Glades County in January
2014. Ware offered the shooter $10,000 to commit the murder. The defendant was also convicted
of tampering with other witnesses in his drug case so they would not testify against him. The
Florida Department of Law Enforcement and Glades County Sheriff’s Office assisted in the
investigation.
Ware was still convicted on the drug charges in his original case and sentenced to 17 years in
prison and was incarcerated. The State Attorney convened the Glades County Grand Jury to hear
the murder for hire case and Ware was indicted in January 2017.
Deputy Chief Assistant State Attorney Abraham Thornburg, Assistant State Attorney James
Miller, and Assistant State Attorney William Dorman prosecuted the case.
“I hope today’s sentencing brings some sense of closure to the family of the victim. I want to
thank the jury for their focus in this lengthy trial process and their involvement with a death
penalty case. I also want to thank our law enforcement partners for the extensive work that went
into investigating this case as well as the State Attorney’s Office prosecutors and support staff
who dedicated a lot of time to bring this case to trial,” said State Attorney Amira Fox.
Samantha Syoen
Communications Director
State Attorney’s Office
239-533-1125
ssyoen@sao.cjis20.org