Orlando – A unanimous jury in Orange County recommended the death penalty Tuesday for DeMorris Hunter, the man convicted in the 2002 murder of an Orange County woman.
The case centers on the killing of Theresa Green, who authorities say was strangled after a small gathering at her home more than two decades ago. Prosecutors allege Hunter then placed her body in the trunk of her car after killing her in College Park, and left the vehicle in a parking lot in Sanford.
Hunter, 59, was already facing a 110-year sentence in a California prison for the murder of another woman in 2005.
Hunter was extradited to Florida in 2015 following his indictment for Green’s death, and prosecutors signaled their intent to seek the death penalty then.
However, the case endured several setbacks, including COVID-19 issues and a heart attack Hunter suffered.
He has been in the Orange County Jail ever since his extradition to Florida.
Hunter was convicted of Green’s killing earlier this year. A Spencer hearing is set for June 1, with the judge delivering her sentence sometime this summer.
During testimony, jurors heard from a childhood friend who described a difficult upbringing, as well as Hunter’s daughter, who pleaded for his life. She told the court she loves her father and wants him to live, later blowing him a kiss as she left the stand.
In closing arguments, prosecutors urged jurors to focus on Hunter’s repeated acts of violence and the impact on victims and their families.
“They clearly didn’t know the violent side — the side that time and time again chose to hurt people,” a prosecutor said. “How many people does he have to kill before we say enough is enough?”
The defense argued that a sentence of life in prison would still hold Hunter accountable without ending his life.
“Life in prison is not mercy without consequence,” a defense attorney said. “It is accountability, but it also means human beings are more than the worst thing they have ever done.”
Meanwhile, prosecutors told the jury to focus on Hunter’s actions and what he did to his victims instead of what people had to say about who they thought he was.
The next step is a post-conviction proceeding known as a Spencer hearing, scheduled for June 1.
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During the first day of the penalty phase on Monday, prosecutors and defense attorneys presented sharply different portrayals of Hunter, whose fate now rests with jurors deciding whether he should be sentenced to death or spend the rest of his life in prison.
In a forceful opening statement, a prosecutor told jurors, “that man right there had his hands around her throat and squeezed the life out of her.”
Jurors also heard emotional testimony from Green’s son, who wrote a statement that was read by someone from the state attorney’s office, who described the lasting impact of his mother’s death.
“At only 13 years old, I was robbed of my mother’s presence, her support, and her irreplaceable love.” The statement also said, “the defendant didn’t just take a life — they took my mother, my children’s grandmother, and 20 years of peace I can never get back.”
Prosecutors called expert witnesses who outlined Hunter’s criminal history, which dates back decades.
The defense, however, sought to humanize Hunter, calling family members who testified about his character. Several described him as caring and playful, pushing back against the prosecution’s depiction.
“He was always playful, playing with me and my sisters, always happy — never saw any aggressiveness from him,” one relative testified.
Another family member added, “He was very funny. He has the kind of laugh that makes you laugh. He always looked out for us and made sure that we were okay.”