Jury recommends a death in Durango Steakhouse murder

A jury has recommended death for a 54-year-old St. Petersburg man convicted of killing a restaurant manager in a 2005 robbery.

The jury deliberated for about an hour today before voting 9-3 to recommend a death sentence for Wilson Saintil. The jury had found Saintil guilty of first-dgree murder Thursday in the stabbing death of Stephen Holmes, 29.

A judge will decide whether to impose the death sentence at a later hearing.

Holmes, 29, was working late at Durango Steakhouse when he was stabbed more than 20 times on Dec. 12, 2005. His killer took more than $5,000 and the surveillance VCR, which, along with the fact that there were no signs of forced entry, made authorities suspect it was an inside job.

Saintil was a prep cook at the restaurant and had a key. Authorities also say he began paying off debts in the hours after the murder. His bloody fingerprint was found at the scene.

Prosecutors argued that Saintil deserved to die for the crime because of his previous criminal record, the heinous nature of the murder, and the fact that it was committed during the commission of a robbery.

Defense attorneys asked the jury to consider several mitigating factors, including Saintil's character and the fact that he was abandoned as a young child in Haiti because of economic reasons. His mother eventually reclaimed him, and brought him to America, said Michael Hays, one of Saintil's attorneys.

Saintil dropped out of school at an early age, but worked hard and made good money, Hays said. He was a good father to his children, attended church and has had no disciplinary problems while in jail.

Holmes' widow, Jennifer, declined to comment on the sentence recommendation this afternoon.

Leonora LaPeter Anton, Times staff writer