Adam Davis

Case details

Adam Davis was convicted of first-degree murder for the killing of Vicki Robinson. The case involved armed robbery and grand theft auto alongside the murder conviction.

People

• Adam Davis — defendant
• Vicki Robinson — victim; a 49-year-old real estate agent and divorced mother of two teenagers
• Valessa Robinson — Davis’s co-offender; Vicki Robinson’s daughter
• Jon Whispel — co-offender and accomplice who testified
• Jim Englert — Vicki Robinson’s boyfriend
• Deborah Sartor-Englert — friend of Vicki Robinson
• Donna Davis — stepmother of Adam Davis
• Rick Terrana — trial attorney for Adam Davis
• Charles Traina — trial attorney for Adam Davis
• Guillermo De Jesus Gomez, Jr. — direct appeal attorney for Adam Davis
• Peter Cannon — collateral appeals attorney (CCRC-M) for Adam Davis
• Cynthia Holloway — sentencing judge
• Shirley Williams — prosecutor
• Charles Traina — defense attorney
• Jeffrey Luddeke — prison inmate? (as referenced in the sentencing day account, he was a warehouse manager who heard about the murder on the news and went to court)
• Anne Gambrell — juror who convicted Davis and returned to see him sentenced
• Bonnie Smith — friend of Vicki Robinson
• Harold Babich — not present in the provided material

Timeline

• 06/26/98 — Vicki Robinson ran errands with her daughter, Valessa Robinson, Valessa’s boyfriend Adam Davis, and a mutual friend of Valessa and Davis, Jon Whispel; after dinner Davis and Whispel left for a Denny’s restaurant
• 06/27/98 — Valessa Robinson sneaked out and joined Davis and Whispel at the restaurant; later that evening the trio planned and then attempted to kill Vicki Robinson using a syringe and bleach and, after bleach failed, stabbed her with a knife; they cleaned the kitchen with bleach and towels; Davis put Vicki Robinson’s body into a trash can and they transported it in her van to a wooded area to bury her; after that digging failed, they concealed the trash can and returned to obtain Vicki Robinson’s credit cards, cash, and ATM card and used them in Ybor City
• 11/04/99 — jury returned guilty verdicts on all counts of the indictment
• 11/05/99 — jury recommended death by a vote of 7-5
• 12/17/99 — Adam Davis was sentenced to death; Vicki Robinson’s sentencing-day account also states the sentence was handed down on this date
• 02/14/00 — Adam Davis filed a direct appeal with the Florida Supreme Court
• 05/30/00 — Valessa Robinson was sentenced to fifteen years for third-degree murder and five years for grand theft auto
• 09/11/03 — the Florida Supreme Court affirmed the convictions and sentence
• 02/01/05 — Adam Davis filed a 3.851 motion with the circuit court
• 02/10/06 — evidentiary hearing was held on the 3.851 motion
• 04/20/06 — evidentiary hearing was held on the 3.851 motion
• 06/21/06 — the circuit court denied the 3.851 motion
• 07/18/06 — Adam Davis filed a 3.851 motion appeal with the Florida Supreme Court, pending
• 06/29/99 — Jon Whispel was sentenced to twenty-five years for the crimes
• 07/08/98 — Adam Davis was indicted

Background

Vicki Robinson was a 49-year-old real estate agent and divorced mother of two teenagers. Her disappearance began in the Tampa suburb of Carrollwood in June 1998 after she vanished from her home.

Police soon focused inquiries on her youngest daughter, Valessa, and Valessa’s new boyfriend, Adam Davis. Davis had spent six months in jail for theft and burglary prior to the homicide. Valessa disappeared as well.

The offence

After dinner on 06/26/98, Adam Davis and Jon Whispel left the Robinson home and went to a Denny’s restaurant.

Later that evening, Valessa Robinson joined Davis and Whispel at the restaurant. The trio left the restaurant searching for drugs, bought and took LSD, and returned to the restaurant.

While at the restaurant, Valessa Robinson stated that the three should kill her mother. Whispel thought Valessa was joking, but Davis and Valessa began to plan how to carry out the murder, agreeing on a lethal heroin overdose of Vicki Robinson.

The three went back to Ms. Robinson’s house, took her van without her knowledge, and attempted to buy heroin and a syringe. Unable to purchase heroin, Davis purchased a syringe. Davis suggested that they kill Ms. Robinson by filling the syringe with bleach and an air bubble.

In the kitchen, Davis put Ms. Robinson into a “sleeper” hold, trying to render her unconscious. Davis injected Ms. Robinson with the syringe, but after a few minutes the bleach did not kill Ms. Robinson, so Davis stabbed her with a knife. Shortly afterward, the three heard moaning from the kitchen; Davis grabbed the knife and left the room. Davis later told Whispel that he stabbed Ms. Robinson two more times and tried to break her neck.

A few hours later, the three cleaned the kitchen with bleach and towels. Davis put Ms. Robinson’s body into a trash can, and loaded the trash can, along with shovels and a hoe into Ms. Robinson’s van and drove to a wooded area to bury her. The digging was unsuccessful, so they concealed the trash can with foliage, planning to come back later.

The three later returned to Ms. Robinson’s house and obtained her credit cards, cash, and ATM card since Valessa knew Ms. Robinson’s personal identification number. The trio then spent the next few days in Ybor City using Ms. Robinson’s money to get tattoos and stay at motels.

They also purchased twenty bags of concrete, a bucket, and a trash can, intending to dump the body in a canal. While Davis, Valessa, and Whispel were in Ybor City, Ms. Robinson’s boyfriend, Jim Englert, reported her missing. Davis learned from a friend that both Davis and Valessa were on the news, so the three decided to leave town and flee to Phoenix, Arizona. They never returned to complete their plans to dispose of Ms. Robinson’s body.

The account of the offence also included a description that Davis injected the victim with bleach and that the victim was stabbed until she was still.

Investigation and arrest

Ms. Robinson’s credit union tracked the use of her credit card. Davis, Valessa, and Whispel were apprehended in Pecos County, Texas, after a high-speed chase.

Codefendants

Valessa Robinson

Valessa Robinson was tried and convicted on charges of Third-Degree Murder and Grand Theft Auto. On 05/30/00, she was sentenced to fifteen and five years, respectively.

Jon Whispel

Jon Whispel pled guilty to charges of Second-Degree Murder, Third-Degree Grand Theft, and Grand Theft Auto. On 06/29/99, he was sentenced to twenty-five years for the crimes.

Trial

Adam Davis was indicted as follows on 07/08/98:

• Count I: First-Degree Murder
• Count II: Armed Robbery
• Count III: Grand Theft Auto

On 11/04/99, the jury returned guilty verdicts on all counts of the indictment.

On 11/05/99, the jury recommended death by a vote of 7-5.

Jury and closing arguments (verbatim quotations)

During sentencing proceedings, a juror stated:

• Anne Gambrell said: "To think that kids would want to kill a mother, to plan it out," and added: "I wonder what Valessa is thinking right now."

Whispel’s account in the sentencing-day narrative included quotations attributed to Whispel:

• Whispel quoted Davis as saying: "The b---- won't die."

Defense attorney Charles Traina admitted Davis was involved but argued it was not premeditated, asking for a lesser charge to eliminate the possibility of a death sentence. Prosecutor Shirley Williams argued the steps showed deliberate conduct and said:

• Shirley Williams said: "It doesn't get any more premeditated than that."

A prison inmate who traveled with Davis while being brought home to Florida was quoted as having said Davis boasted:

• The account said Davis boasted he was dangerous, said he cut Mrs. Robinson up, and called himself and Valessa the Romeo and Juliet of the '90s.

Davis’s statements (verbatim quotations)

After the three were caught driving Ms. Robinson’s minivan in Texas, a similar account said Davis gave that he had been "raging" when he "just sliced":

• Davis told police he had been "raging" when he "just sliced."

Sentencing

On 12/17/99, the jury’s recommendation was considered by sentencing judge Cynthia Holloway, who sentenced Adam Davis as follows:

• Count I: First-Degree Murder — Death
• Count II: Armed Robbery — Time Served
• Count III: Grand Theft Auto — Time Served

Appeals and collateral proceedings

Direct appeal

Adam Davis filed a direct appeal with the Florida Supreme Court on 02/14/00, citing issues including evidence admitted at trial, finding of aggravating circumstances, and the constitutionality of the death penalty. On 09/11/03, the convictions and sentence were affirmed.

3.851 motion and appeal

Adam Davis filed a 3.851 Motion with the circuit court on 02/01/05. Evidentiary hearings were held on 02/10/06 and 04/20/06. On 06/21/06, the circuit court denied the motion.

Adam Davis then filed a 3.851 Motion Appeal with the Florida Supreme Court on 07/18/06, pending.

Outcome

Adam Davis was sentenced to death on December 17, 1999.

Aftermath

Davis was described as awaiting his appeal from death row while housed in a death row cell, with meals and showering arrangements described in the sentencing-day narrative.

Other details

Offence circumstances and planning

• The planning initially included an agreement on a lethal heroin overdose before the plan switched to bleach and an air bubble in the syringe.
• Davis suggested killing with bleach and an air bubble and then attempted to render the victim unconscious using a “sleeper” hold.
• After bleach failed to kill the victim, Davis stabbed her with a knife.
• The attempt to bury the body by digging in the wooded area was unsuccessful, leading to concealment with foliage.
• The group cleaned the kitchen with bleach and towels.

Victim and family details

• Vicki Robinson was fighting to control her daughter, Valessa.
• The sentencing-day narrative described Valessa as a sometime runaway who took drugs and began an obsessive relationship with Davis, and described Mrs. Robinson making plans to put Valessa in a boarding school for troubled girls.
• Valessa’s trial was scheduled for Dec. 13, and the narrative stated she could not face the death penalty because of her age.

Courtroom reactions and character statements (verbatim quotations)

• Deborah Sartor-Englert said: "I'm ecstatic that justice has been exhibited before us in this courtroom today," and also: ". . . I'm so thankful. I'm going to sleep so good tonight."
• Donna Davis said: "I'm scared for what's going to happen to Adam now,"
• Anne Gambrell said: "No mercy," Sartor-Englert said: "He showed no mercy to Vicki Robinson in her last moments of death, and I believe he should experience the same."
• Sartor-Englert said: "No mercy," and "He showed no mercy to Vicki Robinson in her last moments of death, and I believe he should experience the same."
• Rick Terrana (court-appointed attorney) said: "He knew it was coming." and "His focus now is on trying to arrange some funding for a private lawyer to do his appeal."
• Jim Englert said: "Vicki, of all people, the most loving, caring, giving Christian lady," and said: "I looked up to her. I adored her. I'll miss her forever."
• Jim Englert said: "Real justice comes when he dies, whether it's in a jail cell or in the electric chair."
• Jim Englert also said: "Of all the things in the world these children could have done, this is the only thing they could have done to prevent being together," and sounded weary as he tried to figure the logic.
• Bonnie Smith said: "We knew Valessa, we loved Valessa," and "We still love her."

Physical evidence description

The narrative included that jurors saw a single gruesome photo of the body that was badly decomposed after being stuffed head-first into a plastic garbage can and hidden in the woods.

Death row conditions (described in narrative)

The narrative stated that Davis would spend his time in a "6- by 9-foot death row cell," eating his meals with a spoon and showering every other day while he awaited his appeal.