On Tuesday, June 2, 2020, a man convicted of murdering two Putnam County boys was sentenced to death.
John Couey, 52, was found guilty of murdering 9-year-old Jessica Lunsford and 11-year-old Carlie Brucia in February 2005. Couey was sentenced to death by lethal injection.
Couey had been on the run for three weeks after the girls’ bodies were found in a shallow grave near his home. He was eventually tracked down in Georgia and arrested.
At the sentencing hearing, Couey’s attorneys argued that he was mentally ill and unable to understand the consequences of his actions. They also argued that his life should be spared because he was abused as a child.
However, the judge disagreed and sentenced Couey to death.
The families of the victims were in the courtroom when the sentence was handed down. Jessica Lunsford’s father, Mark Lunsford, said that justice had been served.
“It’s been a long road, but justice has finally been served,” he said.
The families of the two victims have also set up a foundation in honor of their daughters. The foundation is dedicated to helping victims of child abuse and promoting awareness of the issue.
The death penalty is still a controversial issue in the United States. However, in this case, the judge felt that the death penalty was the only appropriate punishment for the heinous crime committed by Couey.
