The price of fame

Jessica Lunford's relatives, Citrus County residents, law enforcement officials and media jammed into Judge Ric Howard's courtroom Friday to learn if convicted killer John Couey will live or die. Cameras popped and flashed as Lunford's father, Mark, entered the courtroom in all black and a tie bearing pictures of nine-year-old Jessica's face.

"It was her destiny to be famous for a horrible reason," George Kanaris, owner of Emily's Family Restaurant in Homossasa, said earlier in the day.

And it was 49-year-old Couey's fate to be that horrible reason. Press attention shifted from Mark to the convicted killer in Friday's courtroom, as he hobbled in wearing a red jumpsuit.

Unlike fresh-faced Jessica, Couey has elicited little sympathy around this area.

Even mention of his name provoked declarations of "Fry him!" from a patron at the Emily's counter Friday.

-- Elena Lesley

A community awaits closure

INVERNESS -- The television news trucks began arriving last night in anticipation of this afternoon's sentencing hearing for Jessica Lunsford's killer, John Couey.

It's a familiar sight for the residents of Citrus County. For 2-1/2 years, this rural community of 137,000 has lived and breathed the 9-year-old's tragic case along with the Lunsford family. Many of them banded together in the days after her disappearance Feb. 24, 2005, to help with the search. At today's 2 p.m. hearing at the downtown courthouse, they hope to hear a sentence that gives them closure, too.

On the eve of the sentencing, a new YouTube video reminds those affected what the case is all about. Produced by a 15-year-old in Germany and posted Thursday, "Can You Imagine" highlights the cases of three missing girls, starting with Jessica Lunsford. The words and photos are set to Avril Lavigne's "Slipped Away." It joins a number of other videos dedicated to the her memory.

--John Frank, Times staff writer

Couey not retarded, eligible for death penalty, judge rules

INVERNESS – Jessica Lunsford’s convicted killer is eligible for the death penalty after a Citrus judge ruled today that John Couey is not mentally retarded.

Defense attorneys fought to spare the 48-year-old sex offender’s life by arguing that he suffered life-long mental abuse and possessed a below normal IQ.

But Circuit Judge Ric Howard, in a ruling issued at 4:45 p.m., said the most credible intelligence exam rated Couey's IQ at 78. The Florida Supreme Court put the cutoff for retardation at 70 or below.

"The conclusion is inescapable and irrefutable that the defendant John Evander Couey, is not retarded by any legal or societal standard," Howard wrote in his 16-page ruling.

In his first comments on the facts of the case, Howard wrote that the actions of Couey "are far from simple acts. The defendant stealthily entered the Lunsford family home and kidnapped Jessica. ... A person who is mentally retarded simply could not have planned such a sophisticated crime, and escape."

In March, a Miami jury recommended the death penalty after finding Couey guilty of kidnapping, raping and killing the 9-year-old Homosassa girl in February 2005.

The next step is the much-anticipated Aug. 24 sentencing hearing in Citrus County, where Howard ultimately will decide Couey's punishment. He must give the jury's decision great weight.

View the full story on the judge's ruling here.

--John Frank, Times staff writer

Couey sentencing delayed two weeks

INVERNESS — A Citrus judge delayed the sentencing for Jessica Lunsford's convicted killer on Wednesday, pushing the long-awaited court appearance back to Aug. 24.

Circuit Judge Ric Howard last month scheduled an Aug. 10 hearing for John Couey but a busy court schedule forced the judge to delay. Howard's judicial assistant said this week's docket included about 600 cases and he didn't have enough time to prepare a formal decision about Couey's punishment.

In March, a Miami jury found Couey guilty of kidnapping, raping and killing the 9-year-old Homosassa girl in February 2005. The panel recommended the death penalty, but Howard has the final word.

Attorneys in the case are still waiting for the judge's decision on whether Couey is mentally retarded, as defense lawyers argued in a July 17 hearing. That ruling is expected in the next few days.

John Frank, Times staff writer

Long-awaited date for Couey sentencing set

INVERNESS -- John Couey, the 48-year-old sex offender convicted in March of killing Jessica Lunsford, will face a Citrus judge for a formal sentencing Aug. 10, prosecutors said Tuesday.

Circuit Judge Ric Howard set the long-awaited date ahead of next week's hearing about whether Couey is mentally retarded, as defense attorneys assert.

If found retarded at next Tuesday's hearing, Couey would be ineligible for the death penalty, which a Miami jury recommended as punishment for kidnapping, raping and killing the 9-year-old Homosassa girl in February 2005. State law gives the final sentencing responsibility to the Howard, who must give great weight to the jury's advice.

--John Frank, Times staff writer

Couey going back to court

After a three-month hiatus, John Couey returns to court July 17 for a hearing to determine whether he is eligible for the death penalty, court officials announced.

The convicted killer of Jessica Lunsford is scheduled to appear before Circuit Judge Ric Howard in Citrus County for a hearing about whether he is mentally retarded.

Defense expert Robert Berland, a Brandon forensic psychologist, testified at the Miami trial that Couey suffers from mild mental retardation, based on a standard intelligence exam he took in February. If found retarded, Couey could not receive the death penalty under state law.

On March 8, a jury convicted Couey of kidnapping, raping and killing the 9-year-old Homosassa girl in 2005. A week later, the jury sentenced him to death by lethal injection.

Since then, state and defense attorneys worked behind the scenes to line up mental health experts who examined Couey in preparation for the hearing.

A formal sentencing hearing before the judge will take place afterward, though no date was set. Howard is required to give the jury's recommended death sentence great weight.

--John Frank, Times staff writer