Results by Google
Home News 

Story

Prosecutors: Homeless Man Begged For Mercy During Beating

Posted: 12:39 pm EDT April 17, 2006

Prosecutors told a jury a homeless man begged four teenagers for mercy as they beat him to death. A sentencing trial is underway Monday for the four teens who attacked Michael Roberts for two full hours last spring.

There was some very graphic testimony coming out from investigators on the stand Monday. For family members of the victims, it meant they had to relive the horror of the brutal murder all over again.

At one point during the testimony, the elderly mother of Michael Roberts had to be helped out of the courtroom as she was overcome with tears.

Four young men have pleaded guilty to beating Roberts to death as he slept in the woods in Holly Hill. Warren Messner, Justin Stearns, Christopher Scamahorn and Jeffrey Spurgeon have avoided the death penalty, but are now at the mercy of the judge to find out how much time they will spend in prison for what they did. A fifth suspect, Phi Huynh, is charged with aggravated assault and is not involved in this sentencing.

They admitted to beating Roberts, returning to the scene three times over a three-day period, kicking and punching him, beating him with sticks and rocks, and jumping on him, continuing to do so even though Roberts begged them to stop.

Monday morning, family members of the victim had to tell their feelings directly to the judge.

"They did not give my brother a second chance, even though they could have. Please don't give them a second chance," said the victim’s sister, Dawn Anderson.

The sentencing will stretch out over an entire week. After hearing from family of the victim, the defendants' families will speak out to plead for mercy. There will also be experts testifying on the mental status of the defendants.

The sentence will be up to the judge. The maximum sentence is life in prison without parole.

More Headlines

Make WFTV Your Power On

Did you ever turn your television off at night and notice the next morning that your set comes on to a different channel? You can set your cable box so that your TV comes on to the station you want. It's easy! Full Story ››
Step-By-Step Text Instructions


Click Picks
Video Clips
Police say surveillance video shows a man purposely drove his car through glass doors and into a courthouse. They say he then calmly got out, with cigarette in hand and walked away.

Strange News Photos

From brilliant to bizarre, our 99-photo slideshow captures a variety of strange news. Photos are added often. Take A Look!

County-By-County News

Get Hyper-Local On WFTV.com

Visit our County-By-County section for the latest news headlines out of your county. » County-By-County

When you take videos or photos of Central Florida news or weather events, iWitness is your place to upload them. » iWitness

Visit your headquarters for county-by-county news and resources, and a place to share community videos and photos. » 9Central