The jury in Charlotte County recommended death for defendant Dwight T. Eaglin, for the murder of Correctional Officer Darla Lathrem and for the murder of inmate Charlie Fuston. The jury returned their verdict just before 7 p.m. last night, following an over two-week long penalty phase trial.
Janet Best, the sister of Darla Lathrem, provided this statement: “Our family is grateful that jurors made the appropriate recommendation. And we look forward to the Judge imposing that recommendation, so that justice will finally be served. We miss Darla very much.”
The defendant was sentenced to death in 2006 for the murders but following a change in Florida’s current death penalty law, his lawyers challenged his sentence, and he was granted a new penalty phase trial.
The defendant murdered Correctional Officer Darla Lathrem and inmate Charlie Fuston in 2003, during an escape attempt from the Charlotte Correctional Institution. They were both beaten to death with hammers. Correctional Officer Darla Lathrem was supervising a work crew at night when she was lured away and murdered.
The jury voted as follows:
Count I: The murder of Correctional Officer Darla Lathrem – The jury recommended death by a vote of 11-1.
Count II: The murder of Charlie Fuston – The jury recommended death by a vote of 12-0.
Cold Case Homicide Unit Assistant State Attorney Dan Feinberg, Deputy Chief Assistant State Attorney Shannon Doolity, and Assistant State Attorney Kristan Burns, prosecuted the case.
“We will never let up when it comes to seeking justice, not after a day, a year, or decades. This was a heinous crime and clearly a death penalty case. We will never stop in our quest for justice for victims,” said State Attorney Amira Fox.
A Spencer Hearing is set for March 20th at 9:15 a.m. Sentencing is scheduled for March 27th at 9:15 a.m.
At the time of these murders, the defendant was serving a life sentence for cutting the throat of a man, and stabbing him to death, outside of a club in Pinellas County in 1998.
Samantha Syoen -State Attorney’s Office Communications Director