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STATE OF FLORIDA
vs. EXCERPT
CLOSING ARGUMENT
WILLIAM WELLS,
Defendant
______________________________/
1 P R O C E E D I N G S
2 * * *
9 doctors said.
19 responsibility.
21 of you knew this was coming. None of you knew that you
14 your way is the better way. But you all promised me that
16 persuade one way or the other, that you would respect each
19 some level.
3 then.
19 plan.
1 breadcrumbs from his life that we'll talk about over the
22 weight or is proven.
2 heightened premeditation.
4 and did this little show for you, going through all these
6 forth, so on.
21 that, "I don't know if I'm gonna kill this guy, but I'm
4 them. I'm going to show you how you make your decision on
5 each, how it applies, what you can look for and how you
11 planning going on. He was part of this. But now you have
12 something else going on. You know from Dr. Holmes that
14 after the attempted murder and that Doty was kind of the
17 How do we know that? He's the one who got the knife.
18 He's the one who wanted to stab him. We know for a fact
19 he's the one who choked him. And even though Mr. Wells --
20 and the state points out that Mr. Wells put his fingers
3 uses.
6 when that man back there, Inspector Snow, who was taking
9 why don't you tell me this and tell me that, and then he
20 about how this was going to take place and there was this
22 and so forth so on. But who was really running the show
23 in that case?
10 the end.
21 through.
1 can you fathom that? Think about it. I mean, you have to
4 sense.
6 run, they flee, they hide, they try to cover it up, they
2 talked about. And you all agreed that you could look at
7 things that you heard must have been a shock beyond shock.
10 well.
15 out of your mind and focus on this case and look at this
3 jury to say, "No, I'm not voting for death," and it's
13 listen to what I'm going to tell you now and digest it,
15 process.
11 values by jurors."
16 for death. I'm not going to kill this man. I have that
18 that.
11 (Bench conference.)
16 it out, Judge.
5 by Dr. Holmes.
6 And you heard from the sister and the niece, and I'm
10 was 25 years older. She had her own life, and there were
13 about her being around was for a very short period of time
15 he was yanked away by mom and dad, went with them and went
16 down to Mayport, and she was upset that she couldn't keep
17 him. Okay. But I would suggest that this woman loves her
2 doesn't see maggots and remember his wife's death over and
25 I gonna do as a juror?"
20
7 testimony, for the last six years Mr. Wells, since this
9 environment.
23 up here and told you about it. Now, you know she talked
15 super horrific.
18 because Dr. Holmes said there were times when this man was
3 job to do, and I try not to cross the line, and I was
5 son -- you know, the state came up here and said -- and
7 while.
8 But she came up here and talked about her son, and,
21 good?
22 The father could have had things inside him that were
23 good, but we know people when they drink. And he was old
3 we're not judging him, we're not here to judge the father.
4 We're here to judge the son. And how do we judge the son
12 he was.
2 condition.
4 was didn't see it or the sister wasn't around for it, does
8 over the mother -- you heard her talk about the mother.
9 There was venom flowing about the mother. She didn't have
12 had left home when he was born -- before he was born, and
15 family.
24 father is giving him alcohol when he's four years old, and
7 And then at some point this boy, now a man, sees his
11 drinking when he's 12, 13 years old all the time, so much
12 that we had two doctors come in here and tell you that he
19 explained to you and showed you that with the eyes open
1 with his eyes closed, you see this damage. This is a test
18 penalty phase.
21 this place to get a PET scan done. The PET scan was done,
3 after the 2003 case. So what? He's not here for the 2003
8 given to you.
22 sufficient.
12 justification.
14 boxes. You would say yes, yes, no. Okay? I'm telling
15 you, you can put yes on the first two because there's no
17 reasonable doubt.
5 process and the weighing and all that other stuff and how
9 you individually and that you may not find, based on your
12 health issues that are coming into play, and the fact that
15 murders, but this guy was A, this guy was B, this guy was
19 decision on that.
7 and then do a count and put the number down. So, in other
18 Dr. Holmes about was the victims in this case and the
4 from the house during the 11 days that he's sitting there
8 day, that horrific day back in 2003, but his child was
12 fish.
21 going on.
1 take place was that, with the killing of his wife, he said
10 offer. They take death off the table. What does that
11 tell you?
13 this and now you know about his mental illness. He had
20 you want. You could say, "Listen, five murders are bad.
22 but I've looked at this, I see this, the fact that he got
2 can do that generally, any way you want, or you can take
8 you can give that any weight you want, and then you can
21 body and was going for a gun and that he had previous
7 that caused this perfect storm, and you heard them. And
9 before.
16 maybe two, I think he was at the time. The wife goes down
17 and she's crossing the street or the kids are crossing the
23 and forth, he's going back into his addictive ways, so you
21 justification for that. But these are the things that you
25 large amounts.
37
2 was the person who had slept with his wife or was having
16 kills the drug dealer who he's buying all these drugs off
19 mitigation that we have talked about and you can put those
24 the drug use preceding the event and then the drug use
6 Holmes talked about that, one will turn out really good
10 may have had some kids who also had some mental health or
17 into 12, 13 and 14, all of those things you can consider
2 where he's not just picking someone out and doing this.
17 where he can't get out of his mind the killing of his wife
20 for 11 days. How many times did Billy go in and see his
8 you decide to give it. And you can use mitigation and
18 damage that was caused to his brain, you can take all that
7 the evidence. And you can give it -- once you find it,
13 have the CCP, which I'm arguing doesn't exist, but that
17 Individually or collectively.
19 there, let's say that you believe that the brain damage is
24 You can find that one mitigating factor outweighs all the
1 aggravation.
12 substantial.
11 betrayal, and that led to the initial killing his wife and
23 to consider.
18 everything.
20 when you leave here and you go back, the power that each
23 And you have been very attentive with all of us, the
24 judge, myself and the prosecutor, over the last month, and
4 person broke the law and needs to pay. And what I got out
5 of that story was that that man told them to look inside
7 you can look inside yourself. You could find mercy, you
11 with that.
12 Thank you.
13 * * *
14 (Excerpt concluded.)
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3 C E R T I F I C A T E
5 STATE OF FLORIDA )
6 COUNTY OF ALACHUA )
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13 ________________________________
Pamela S. Connor
14 Registered Professional Reporter
Florida Professional Reporter
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