Man sentenced to death for 1987 murder

SUMTER COUNTY, Fla. — A hitchhiker from Indiana is on death row for a 1987 murder of a Sumter County Walmart manager.

The case was only solved after detectives tested the evidence for DNA 17 years later.

On July 14, 1987, Adrian Mobley's body was found on County Road 475 near Bushnell.

The killer, Carl Dausch, was already in prison for rape in Indiana when they matched his DNA.

Detectives reopened the case in 2004. They took another look at evidence collected from Mobley's car and the ash tray inside the vehicle.

In the ash tray, detectives found a cigarette butt, which was taken into evidence. Years later, Dausch's DNA was found on the cigarette.

"Well, saliva, the mouth is the breeding ground of DNA, essentially," said Maj. Gary Brannen of the Sumter County Sheriff's Office.

Prosecutors said Dausch was hitchhiking when Mobley pulled over to offer him a ride.

Late last year, Dausch was convicted for Mobley's murder, and this week a judge sentenced him to death.

"Carl Dausch is an extremely violent individual. He's just a mean, nasty person.  He didn't have to kill Adrian Mobley," Brennan said.

Dausch may become the first Caucasian to be executed for killing an African-American in the state of Florida.

WFTV