Date of Sentence: 06/23/95
Circumstances of Offense:
Ken Eldon Lott was convicted of
first-degree murder and sentenced to death on 06/23/95.
Rose Connors was found unclothed
and murdered in the master bedroom of her estate on the morning of
03/28/94. Connors was severely beaten and suffered from other serious
wounds such as a stab wound in the back, a fractured larynx, and a
slashed throat.
According to medical examiners, the actual cause of
death was the injury to Connors’ neck, which severed the jungular vein.
There was no real evidence of sexual battery, except a few bruises on
Connors’ thigh area, suggesting that her legs were being forced apart.
Prior to the murder, Lott
provided lawn services for Connors at her home. On the day of the
murder (which occurred some time between 03/26/94-03/27/94), Lott and
Raymond Fuller intended to rob Connors when they ran out of money and
were not able to buy drugs.
Together, they devised a plan to rob
Connors whereby Fuller was the designated robber and Lott was the
designated driver. During the robbery, Lott and Fuller were under the
influence of “crystal meth” and cocaine.
The robbery did not go as
planned once Connors escaped from Fuller and scurried out of her house.
She was instantly caught and dragged back into her home by Lott, who was
hiding in some bushes outside her home.
According to Lott, he beat
Connors because she was retaliating like a “maniac” and had to kill her
because she could identify him and would be sent to prison as a result.
After murdering Connors, Lott and Fuller left her home with a diamond
tennis bracelet. Later in the evening, Lott returned to the scene of
the crime to clean up.
Lott was discovered a few months
after the incident when his friend, Robert Whitman, contacted the Orange
County Sheriff’s Department. According to Whitman, he met with Lott
some time after the incident when Lott approached him and offered to
sell him a gold ring and a diamond tennis bracelet. During the meeting,
Lott admitted to Connors’ murder with Fuller as his accomplice.
Lott
was arrested in May of 1994, when Whitman and the Sheriff’s Department
devised a plan, in which Whitman and Lott would meet regarding the
stolen jewelry.
Prior to trial, Lott testified
that Whitman lied in his story about murdering Connors. Lott further
discussed that Whitman was setting him up and sought revenge because, in
the past, Whitman had gotten into trouble with the law because of Lott.
Although Lott admitted to using Connors’ ATM card and the PIN number,
Lott claimed that it was given to him by Whitman and had no knowledge
that it was stolen, especially from Connors. According to the
testimonies of the coworkers of Lott’s wife, Lott’s wife was seen
wearing a diamond tennis bracelet at work one day, subsequent to
Connors’ death.
Codefendant Information:
Raymond Fuller (DC# 625386)
Fuller was not mentioned in the course of Lott’s indictment and there is
no evidence of whether he was caught or tried for the same offense.
*****
Trial Summary:
05/20/94 Lott was indicted as follows:
Count I: First-Degree
Murder
04/28/95 Jury returned guilty verdicts on all counts of the
indictment
04/28/95 Jury recommended death by a vote of 12-0
06/23/95 Lott was sentenced as follows:
Count I: First-Degree
Murder – Death
*****
Case Information:
During his Direct Appeal on 07/20/95, Lott’s sentence
and conviction were affirmed by the Florida Supreme Court. The Court
denied a rehearing on 06/20/97 and issued a mandate on 07/21/97.
On
09/18/97, Lott filed a Petition for Writ of Certiorari to the United
States Supreme Court, which was denied on 11/17/97.
Lott filed a 3.850 Motion to the Circuit Court on 09/21/98, which was
denied on 10/31/01.
On
01/16/02, Lott filed a 3.850 Appeal, which was reversed and remanded on
02/19/03 by the Florida Supreme Court. The Court reversed the order and
remanded the case for the purpose of conducting an evidentiary hearing
on all issues raised on appeal.
On
05/23/03, Lott filed a 3.853 Motion (DNA) to the Circuit Court. Lott
requested a DNA testing of (1) hairs found on the victim’s shower drain
and bed pillow; (2) the victim’s fingernails; (3) the pliers found at
the scene; and (4) the sheets, pillows, panties, vaginal and anal swabs
of the victim, and fecal matter, primarily in search for sperm. The
Circuit Court denied the Motion on 12/04/03.
Lott filed a 3.850 Motion to the Circuit Court. Evidentiary hearing was
held on 07/28/04. The motion was denied on 08/04/04.
On
09/13/04, Lott filed a 3.850 Appeal to the Florida Supreme Court, which
was combined with the Lott’s 3.853 Appeal (DNA). On 04/13/06, the Court
affirmed the trial court’s denial of Lott’s 3.850 Motion, and the Court
affirmed the trial court’s ruling that Lott cannot obtain DNA testing
based on the speculative allegations in his 3.853 Motion. On 06/02/06,
the rehearing was denied. The mandate was issued on 06/19/06
On
06/08/06, Lott filed a Petition for Writ of Habeas Corpus to the United
States District Court, Middle District. The petition is currently
pending.
FloridaCapitalCases.state.fl.us
