Former Prosecutor
Murder: William Davis, Death Penalty – Updated 2017
Michael B. Cohen, Esq. is an experienced Homicide Defense Attorney with two conveniently located Fort Lauderdale offices and one office in West Palm Beach.
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Original Article:
Begging a stunned jury to condemn him to the death penalty, convicted murderer William Davis said that he’d rather face death than pass the balance of the years he had left to live incarcerated.
Mr. Davis was convicted of kidnapping, raping and the pre-meditated murder of a 19-year-old Florida girl, Fabiana Malave three years ago. Miss Malave worked in a car dealership where he kidnapped her and then forced her to go to his house, where the teen was raped by him before being murdered.
According to his defense attorney as well as CFNews13, Davis expressed to the jury that he was remorseful that Ms. Malave was gone by his hand and he knew he could never return her to her Mother, brothers and sisters, cousins, nephews, and nieces. His client also expressed that he firmly believed that an advisory sentencing recommendation to the judge should be seriously considered to give him the death penalty.
Mr. Davis also repeatedly stated that he did not want to live then next 40-50 years of his life in prison. Davis had mentioned that he had been imprisoned eight or nine times. He said that he would rather die than go back there. According to Davis’s criminal defense attorney, the members of the jury have the option to recommend death by lethal injection of life without parole.
Davis’s defense attorney argued that Davis was mentally insane during the trial and the commission of the homicide but the jury rejected his lawyer’s statements and found Davis guilty of first-degree murder, rape and kidnapping.
Updated through 2017:
After being sentenced to death for the brutal rape and murder of 19-year-old Fabiana Malave, the Florida Supreme Court upheld the original death sentence decision of William Davis, decided in a Florida courtroom, a few months earlier.
Similar to the Son of Sam case, Davis told the court that when he hallucinated, an imaginary “Dr. Paul” told him to kill the woman. The case bears this strong resemblance because it was in the Son of Sam case that David Berkowitz told authorities that his neighbor’s dog told him to kill.
According to the Supreme Court report, Davis said that he never killed before but found the act “interesting” and “liberating” and admitted he would certainly do it again.
Mental health experts believed that what sparked the murder was his recent breakup from his girlfriend who had a young child. Davis allegedly told the doctors that “Dr. Paul” told him that the only way his ex-girlfriend and son would be safe was if he were to kill Ms. Malave. However, in finality he told investigators that he couldn’t get himself to kill the young woman and believed it was “Dr. Paul” who actually killed her when he momentarily left the room.
Davis remains on Florida’s death row, thus far without a date set for his execution.
If you, a member of your family or a close friend learns there is a homicide investigation pending or if an arrest has been made, it is of the utmost importance that a Criminal Defense Attorney is contacted who specializes in homicide cases at the earliest possible time. All homicides are not criminal matters and Michael B. Cohen, who has exceptional experience in criminal law and procedure, can explain all your options and craft a defense to fight all allegations pursued by the prosecution. Click here to find out what your next step should be if you or a loved one is charged with any type of homicide.
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