GUILTY FL - Meredith Jessie, 6, & Mark Weekly, 50, Lakeland, 18 July 2015 *Arrest*

[Niner]

Thursday, July 18th:
*Trial continues (Day 10)-VERDICT-Guilty! Penalty Phase (Day 2) (@ 8:30am ET) - FL - Meredith Jessie (6) daughter & Mark Weeley (50) father (July 18, 2015, Lakeland, found Aug. 1, 2015) - *Cheyanne Nicole Jessie (25/now 29) indicted (8/18/15) on 2 counts 1st degree murder, 1 count tampering with evidence. Plead not guilty. Held without bond. DA will seek DP.
Trial started on 7/1/19. Jury selection took place from 6/24-28/19. Jury is 9 women & 3 men.
Trial info from 7/1 to 7/11/19 (Days 1 to 7) reference post #164 here:
GUILTY - FL - Meredith Jessie, 6, & Mark Weekly, 50, Lakeland, 18 July 2015 *Arrest*
7/12/19 Day 8: No info yet. Trial continues on Monday, 7/15.
7/15/19 Day 9: Prosecutors played roughly four hours of recorded interrogations conducted by Polk County Sheriff’s Office detectives Matthew Newbold and Jeff Clark about two weeks after Weekly and Meredith Jessie were last seen alive, where she confesses in stabbing father & daughter. State rested their case. Defense witness: Polk County Sheriff detective Matthew Newbold. Trial is expected to end this week. Trial continues on 7/16.
7/16/19 Day 10: The defense rested its case Tuesday morning. The prosecution and defense then presented their final arguments to the jury. The jury deliberated for about an hour Tuesday afternoon before they told judge Jalal Harb that they would like to go home for the day. They are expected to resume deliberations on Wednesday morning 7/17.
7/17/ Day 11: Jury deliberated for 2 hours today. The jury took less than 3 hours to deliver guilty verdicts on two counts of first-degree murder also convicted of tampering with physical evidence for hiding the bodies after the slayings. Penalty phase of Jessie trial began. Prosecution expected to present "victim-impact" statements. Defense will offer six witnesses, three experts in attempt to stave off death penalty. They hope to have all of the penalty phase testimony wrapped up by Friday. A death sentence requires a unanimous vote by the jury. Penalty phase continues 7/18.

 

[Niner]

@MsFacetious - now all I need to know is "who" the pros called in the penalty phase yesterday afternoon.

TIA if you find something.

 

[SeesSeas]

Defense says Jessie has psychiatric problems
Posted Jul 17, 2019 at 7:36 PM
BARTOW — In a bid to spare Cheyanne Jessie from the death penalty, her lawyers portrayed her as a woman with severe cognitive problems who endured physical and psychological abuse in childhood.

The penalty phase of Jessie’s trial began Wednesday afternoon after the jury found her guilty of killing of father, Mark Weekly, and her daughter, Meredith Jessie. It is expected to last until Friday.
[...]
Wise said Jessie’s mother lost custody of her at age 4 after allowing her boyfriends to mistreat the girl. A witness for the defense, Martha Fay Free, testified that Weekly told her Jessie had scars from being burned by lit cigarettes in her early childhood.
[...]
Wise said expert testimony will demonstrate that Jessie has psychiatric problems and does not have a normally functioning brain. He said Jessie’s family has a history of mental illness.

Free and her daughter, Brittany Free, both testified that Jessie cowered under the control of her former boyfriend, Matthew “Cody” Munroe. The prosecution argued that Jessie killed her father and her daughter because Meredith hindered her relationship with Munroe.
[...]
The prosecution presented victim-impact statements from relatives and friends of Mark Weekly. His older brother, Mike Weekly of Indiana, broke down as he spoke of how much he missed his brother.

Longtime friend Kim Hunt narrated a slide show of images showing Meredith as a jolly, smiling girl with long, blond hair. She described Mark Weekly as a generous man who was devoted to his granddaughter.

Hunt also read a statement from her daughter, Amy Hunt, who considered Jessie her best friend. Amy Hunt lamented not being able to see Meredith grow up to become a “fierce woman.”

 

[SeesSeas]

Psychiatrist: Brain damage led Cheyanne Jessie to kill
July 18, 2019
California doctor tells jury that Lakeland woman’s significant abnormalities led to episodes of rage characterized by ferocious and excessive aggression.
BARTOW — A psychiatry professor told jurors Thursday that convicted murderer Cheyanne Jessie’s mental illness left her unable to control the events that led to the killings of her father and 6-year-old daughter four years ago.

“I don’t think she was having any clue what was going on at the time,” said Dr. Joseph Wu, a psychiatrist and professor emeritus at the University of California, Irvine.

Wu said severe neglect and mistreatment by her mother when Jessie was a toddler left her with significant brain damage, resulting in a full-blown electrical storm in her brain that led to the killings.
[...]

 

[Niner]

@SeesSeas - I can't access that article above. Any more witnesses besides Wu for yesterday?

TIA!

 

[Niner]

Friday, July 19th:
*Trial continues (Day 13)-VERDICT-Guilty! Penalty Phase (Day 3)-Life or Death? (@ 8:30am ET) - FL - Meredith Jessie (6) daughter & Mark Weeley (50) father (July 18, 2015, Lakeland, found Aug. 1, 2015) - *Cheyanne Nicole Jessie (25/now 29) indicted (8/18/15) on 2 counts 1st degree murder, 1 count tampering with evidence. Plead not guilty. Held without bond. DA will seek DP.
Trial started on 7/1/19. Jury selection took place from 6/24-28/19. Jury is 9 women & 3 men. Deliberated for ~3 hours & came back with guilty on 2 counts of 1st degree murder, also convicted of tampering with physical evidence for hiding the bodies after the slayings.
Penalty Phase deliberations started 7/18.
Trial info from 7/1 to 7/16/19 (Days 1 to 10) reference post #181 here:
GUILTY - FL - Meredith Jessie, 6, & Mark Weekly, 50, Lakeland, 18 July 2015 *Arrest*
7/17/ Day 11: Jury deliberated for 2 hours today. The jury took less than 3 hours to deliver guilty verdicts on two counts of first-degree murder also convicted of tampering with physical evidence for hiding the bodies after the slayings. Penalty phase of Jessie trial began. State witnesses: Mike Weekly (Mark's older bro). Kim Hunt (Friend of Mark's). A statement was read from her daughter, Amy Hunt. Pros rest. Defense witness: Martha Fay Free (friend of Jessie). Brittany Free (daughter of Free). They hope to have all of the penalty phase testimony wrapped up by Friday. A death sentence requires a unanimous vote by the jury. Penalty phase continues 7/18.
7/18/19 Trial Day 12-Penalty Phase Day 2: Defense witness: Dr. Joseph Wu, a psychiatrist and professor emeritus at the University of California, Irvine. No other info available yet. Penalty phase continues on 7/19.

 

[SeesSeas]

@SeesSeas - I can't access that article above. Any more witnesses besides Wu for yesterday?

TIA!

Yes. . .
Psychiatrist: Brain damage led Cheyanne Jessie to kill her daughter, 6, and dad in Lakeland
[...]
In other testimony, Jessie’s special education teacher, Barbara Jean Dixon, said she remembers Jessie as a shy child when she was in Dixon’s fourth-grade class. She said Jessie was working at a second-grade level, both academically and socially.
[...]
Laura Hahn, a friend and former co-worker of Jessie’s at Lowe’s, testified that she saw a change in her friend when she became involved with Matthew “Cody” Munroe. Prosecutors have suggested Jessie perceived her father and daughter as impediments to her relationship with Munroe, with whom she was living in July 2015.
[...]

 

[SeesSeas]

Another article - with some interesting comments by Dr Wu:
Cheyanne Jessie Sentencing: Witnesses Testify to Emotional Disability
PUBLISHED July 18, 2019 @9:45 PM
[...]
Dr. Joseph Wu, a neuropsychiatrist out of California, also took the stand.

He told the jurors Jessie had an abusive mother who lost custody of her to her father when she was four.

Wu said assessments showed her brain had evidence of a traumatic brain injury from the abuse.

“She was so developmentally delayed, which would be clearly consistent with someone who was severely abused and neglected," Wu explained. "You know, not even able to wipe herself from using the bathroom, not knowing how to use utensils, not being able to speak very well."

Wu said the neglect and abuse resulted in abnormalities in her brain, or temporal lobe epilepsy, which he said under stress leads to someone flaring out of control with unpredictable and uncontrollable savage aggression and rage.

“She has traumatic brain injury. She was under tremendous stress," Wu said. "This was a perfect storm. A combination of factors resulting in a perfect storm."

Notably, Jessie had not been diagnosed with temporal lobe epilepsy at the time of the murders.

While cross-examining Wu, prosecutors asked how numerous mental health professionals missed the epilepsy when they evaluated Jessie throughout the years.

Wu said psychologists aren’t trained to discover this form of epilepsy.

Jessie reportedly told Wu that before the murders she was stressed about an abortion and overwhelmed with having to give up her daughter to her father, due her not being able to manage her daughter’s behavioral issues.

Neuropsychiatrist Dr. Joseph Wu testifies for the defense during the sentencing phase of the Cheyanne Jessie murder trial, Thursday, July 18, 2019. (Stephanie Claytor/Spectrum Bay News 9)

 

[SeesSeas]

Jury Recommends Death for Cheyanne Jessie for Murder of Daughter
UPDATED 6:43 PM ET Jul. 19, 2019
LAKELAND, Fla. — The jury in the Cheyanne Jessie trial on Friday recommended a death sentence for Jessie for the murder of her daughter, Meredith. They also recommended 10 years to life in prison for the murder of Mark Weekly, Jessie's father.
[...]

Cheyanne Jessie sentenced to death for 2015 murders
July 19, 2019
Posted at 7:45 PM Updated at 7:59 PM
BARTOW — A jury of nine women and three men deliberated about an hour and a half before returning with a death sentence for Cheyanne Jessie at the Polk County Courthouse on Friday night.

The 29-year-old Lakeland resident becomes the first woman in Polk County history to receive a death sentence for the 2015 slaying of her 6-year-old daughter, Meredith Jessie. It takes a unanimous decision by the jury panel for a death sentence to be imposed.

A 10-2 vote among jurors in the murder of her father, 50-year-old Mark Weekly, mandated a life sentence for Jessie.
[...]

 

[SeesSeas]

Cheyanne Jessie sentenced to death for 2015 murders
Women on Death Row
In the history of Florida, only 17 women had received the death penalty before Cheyanne Jessie. The first 12, ranging from 1929 to 1993, had their sentences either commuted (2), reversed (1), reduced to life (7) or reduced to second-degree murder (2). There have been 2 women executed — Judias Goodyear Buenoano (1998) and Aileen Wuornos (2002). Jessie becomes the fourth woman currently on death row, joining Tiffany Cole (Duval County, 2005), Margaret A. Allen (Brevard County, 2011) and Tina Brown (Escambia County, 2012).

 

[MsFacetious]

Wow. So I guess the jury didn't much care about her awful childhood.

 

[SeesSeas]

State Attorney, Defense Lawyers Respond to Cheyanne Jessie Death Verdict
PUBLISHED 4:05 PM EDT Jul. 20, 2019
POLK COUNTY, Fla. — If Judge Jalal Harb follows the jury's recommendation, Cheyanne Jessie would be the first woman in Polk County to be sentenced to death.
[...]
Jessie's attorneys sent a statement, saying they were disappointed the jury gave a verdict of death.

"We hope the court will override the death verdict and expect to present additional mitigation evidence to the Court at sentencing," said Debra Tuomey, Esq.
[...]
There are a few more hearings, including a Spencer Hearing, before Judge Harb will ultimately decide whether he wants to accept the jury’s recommendation and sentence Jessie to death.
[...]
Cheyanne Jessie is due back in court August 28 at 8:30 a.m. for a status conference hearing.
[...]

 

[Niner]

Wednesday, August 28th:
*Status Conference Hearing-VERDICT-Guilty! (@ 8:30am ET) - FL - Meredith Jessie (6) daughter & Mark Weeley (50) father (July 18, 2015, Lakeland, found Aug. 1, 2015) - *Cheyanne Nicole Jessie (25/now 29) indicted (8/18/15) on 2 counts 1st degree murder, 1 count tampering with evidence. Plead not guilty. Held without bond. DA will seek DP.
Trial started on 7/1/19. Jury selection took place from 6/24-28/19. Jury is 9 women & 3 men. Deliberated for ~3 hours & came back with guilty on 2 counts of 1st degree murder, also convicted of tampering with physical evidence for hiding the bodies after the slayings. Penalty Phase deliberations: 7/18 to 7/19: Verdict: The jury in the Cheyanne Jessie trial on Friday recommended a death sentence for Jessie for the murder of her daughter, Meredith. They also recommended 10 years to life in prison for the murder of Mark Weekly, Jessie's father. The jury voted 10-2 on the question of the death sentence for the slaying of Mark Weekly. The lack of a unanimous vote led to the life sentence. They were, however, unanimous in their vote regarding Meredith's murder.
7/19/19: There will still be a series of hearings prior to the judge issuing a sentence for Jessie. The next hearing is scheduled for August 28.

 

[Niner]

08/29/2019 TRANSCRIPT FILED- TESTIMONY FROM THE JURY TRIAL (JULY 18, 2019) 102 543

08/30/2019 MEMO OF COURT (SNAPOUT) 8/28/19 1 544

08/30/2019 INSERT HEARING FOR THE DATE: 9/27/2019 0 545
Reason: STHR--STATUS HEARING BY LETIWILS

08/30/2019 INSERT HEARING FOR THE DATE: 10/10/2019 0 546
Reason: HEAR--HEARING BY LETIWILS


Court Date Court Time Location Motion Section Judge
10/10/2019 9:00 AM BARTOW COURTHOUSE HEAR - HEARING F9 JALAL HARB

09/27/2019 8:30 AM BARTOW COURTHOUSE STHR - STATUS HEARING F9 JALAL HARB

08/28/2019 8:30 AM BARTOW 9 C BLUE ELEVATOR STHR - STATUS HEARING F9 JALAL HARB

link: Welcome to Polk Records Online, the Polk County Clerk of Court’s consolidated case records search application. Please select from the available options.

 

[Niner]

Thursday, October 10th:
*Hearing-VERDICT-Guilty! (@ 9am ET) - FL - Meredith Jessie (6) daughter & Mark Weeley (50) father (July 18, 2015, Lakeland, found Aug. 1, 2015) - *Cheyanne Nicole Jessie (25/now 29) indicted (8/18/15) on 2 counts 1st degree murder, 1 count tampering with evidence. Plead not guilty. Held without bond. DA will seek DP.
Trial started on 7/1/19. Jury selection took place from 6/24-28/19. Jury is 9 women & 3 men. Deliberated for ~3 hours & came back with guilty on 2 counts of 1st degree murder, also convicted of tampering with physical evidence for hiding the bodies after the slayings. Penalty Phase deliberations: 7/18 to 7/19: Verdict: The jury in the Cheyanne Jessie trial on Friday recommended a death sentence for Jessie for the murder of her daughter, Meredith. They also recommended 10 years to life in prison for the murder of Mark Weekly, Jessie's father. The jury voted 10-2 on the question of the death sentence for the slaying of Mark Weekly. The lack of a unanimous vote led to the life sentence. They were, however, unanimous in their vote regarding Meredith's murder.
7/19/19: There will still be a series of hearings prior to the judge issuing a sentence for Jessie. The next hearing is scheduled for August 28. 8/29/19: Next Status hearing on 9/27 & hearing on 10/10.
9/27/19 Update: 10/8: Order granted defendant's motion for additional funds for the services of a videographer & motion to interview juror & notice of interview jurors. Next Hearing on 10/10.

 

[Shin Masamura]

Thanks for your investment in updates Niner.. this is in my back yard

 

[Niner]

Thanks for your investment in updates Niner.. this is in my back yard

Any news on what happened in this hearing? TIA!

 

[Niner]

Docket:
10/10/2019 ORDER SEALING CONFIDENTIAL RECORDS 1 554
10/10/2019 NOTICE OF FILING 4 555
10/10/2019 ORDER SEALING CONFIDENTIAL RECORDS 1 556
10/10/2019 MOTION TO INTERVIEW AND NOTICE OF INTENTION TO INTERVIEW 5 557
10/10/2019 MEMO OF COURT (SNAPOUT) 10/10/2019 1 558
10/10/2019 INSERT HEARING FOR THE DATE: 10/23/2019 0 559
Reason: STHR--STATUS HEARING BY KATHROBE

Hearing:
ourt Date Court Time Location Motion Section Judge
10/23/20198:30 AM BARTOW COURTHOUSE STHR - STATUS HEARING F9 JALAL HARB

link: Welcome to Polk Records Online, the Polk County Clerk of Court’s consolidated case records search application. Please select from the available options.

 

[Niner]

Juror alleges misconduct in murder trial of Cheyanne Jessie, Lakeland woman convicted of killing her dad and her 6-year-old daughter

Carol-Lee Gosline, a member of the 12-person panel in the death sentence trial of Cheyanne Jessie, emails Circuit Judge Jalal Harb alleging juror intimidation by jury member Scott Romanov. Jessie, of Lakeland, was convicted of fatally shooting and stabbing her father, Mark Weekly, and her 6-year-old daughter, Meredith
[.....]
Tuesday’s email from juror Carol-Lee Gosline prompted another from juror Scott Romanov, who Gosline had said intimidated a third juror, Juanita Bell, and both emails have led Jessie’s lawyer, Debra Tuomey, to file a motion seeking to interview the jurors.
[.....]
On Thursday, during a Spencer hearing on other issues related to Jessie’s case, Harb raised the issue of the juror communications, saying he had received a voicemail at his office from a juror, Romanov, late Tuesday.

“The voicemail indicates that he has received or become aware of Ms. Gosline’s email,” Harb said, “and he would like to come before the court to clear his name.”
[.....]
Harb agreed to an Oct. 23 hearing to decide whether the three jurors should be interviewed. He also sealed the two juror emails, along with Tuomey’s motion to interview jurors. Wallace had requested that the emails and defense motion be sealed, saying the documents would not be public record if the allegations are determined to be unfounded.

 

[Niner]

Wednesday, October 23rd:
*Status Hearing(@ 8:30am ET) - FL - Meredith Jessie (6) daughter & Mark Weekley (50) father (July 18, 2015, Lakeland, found Aug. 1, 2015) - *Cheyanne Nicole Jessie (25/now 29) indicted (8/18/15) on 2 counts 1st degree murder, 1 count tampering with evidence. Plead not guilty. Held without bond. DA will seek DP.
Trial started on 7/1/19. Jury selection took place from 6/24-28/19. Jury is 9 women & 3 men. Deliberated for ~3 hours & came back with guilty on 2 counts of 1st degree murder, also convicted of tampering with physical evidence for hiding the bodies after the slayings. Penalty Phase deliberations: 7/18 to 7/19: Verdict: The jury in the Cheyanne Jessie trial on Friday recommended a death sentence for Jessie for the murder of her daughter, Meredith. They also recommended 10 years to life in prison for the murder of Mark Weekley, Jessie's father. The jury voted 10-2 on the question of the death sentence for the slaying of Mark Weekly. The lack of a unanimous vote led to the life sentence. They were, however, unanimous in their vote regarding Meredith's murder.
7/19/19: There will still be a series of hearings prior to the judge issuing a sentence for Jessie. The next hearing is scheduled for August 28. 8/29/19: Next Status hearing on 9/27 & hearing on 10/10.
9/27/19 Update: 10/8: Order granted defendant's motion for additional funds for the services of a videographer & motion to interview juror & notice of interview jurors. Next Hearing on 10/10. 10/10/19: Order sealing confidential records. Motion to interview & notice of intention to interview jurors. Next Status hearing on 10/23.