Lawrence Smith

Background

Lawrence Smith was convicted of first-degree murder and attempted first-degree murder arising from 1999 execution-style shootings.

Authorities said Robert Crawford and Stephen Tuttle were taken by gunpoint to a remote stretch of State Road 54 in Land O'Lakes by Smith and co-defendant Faunce Pearce after losing $1,200 in drug money.

The offence

Authorities said Smith and Faunce Pearce took Robert Crawford and Stephen Tuttle by gunpoint to a remote stretch of State Road 54 in Land O'Lakes after losing $1,200 in drug money.

Authorities said Smith got Stephen Tuttle out of the car and shot him in the back of the head.

Authorities said Smith and Pearce drove on, not knowing that Tuttle, then 16, had survived because the bullet ricocheted off his fingers before entering his brain.

Authorities said they stopped again, and then Crawford was let out and, while begging for his life, was gunned down at age 17.

Investigation

No investigation facts were provided beyond the description of events given by authorities.

Arrest

Smith was arrested on 09/14/99.

Trial

Indictment and plea

Smith was indicted on 09/17/99 on the following charges:

• Count I: First-Degree Murder (Robert Crawford)
• Count II: Attempted First-Degree Murder (Stephen Tuttle)

Smith entered a plea of not guilty on 09/17/99.

Conviction

Smith was found guilty on 05/03/01 on all counts charged in the indictment.

Advisory sentencing and jury vote

On 05/04/01, during advisory sentencing, the jury by an 8 to 4 majority voted for the death penalty.

Sentencing

On 08/17/01, Smith was sentenced as follows:

• Count I: First-Degree Murder (Robert Crawford) — Death
• Count II: Attempted First-Degree Murder (Stephen Tuttle) — Life

Appeals

On 01/29/04, the Florida Supreme Court affirmed Smith’s convictions and life sentence but reversed Smith’s death sentence and remanded for resentencing due to the trial court’s statement that the death penalty was required for the crime, which could have been either a misstatement of the law by the judge or a misunderstanding of the law by the judge.

Smith filed a Direct Appeal in the Florida Supreme Court on 09/19/01.

Smith argued that the trial court erred in denying motions for a mistrial when Butterfield testified that Smith said he had killed other people and when the prosecutor slammed the gun on the table during closing arguments.

Smith argued that the trial court erred in instructing the jury about cold, calculated, and premeditated aggravating factors and by finding the crime to be cold, calculated, and premeditated.

Smith argued that reversible errors occurred because there was not a record of whether the venire was sworn and because the prosecutor misled the jury and court about the legal standard for determining aggravating and mitigating circumstances.

Smith argued that Florida’s death penalty is unconstitutional.

A mandate was issued on 03/01/04.

Outcome

Resentencing and jury recommendation

A second jury recommended the death penalty for Lawrence Joey Smith.

On Tuesday (March 2008), a jury recommended the death penalty by a vote of 7 to 5.

The article stated that it was the second time in seven years that a jury decided that Smith, 30, should be put to death for the 1999 execution-style shootings that left Robert Crawford dead and left a bullet in survivor Stephen Tuttle’s brain.

The article stated that Lawrence Joey Smith tried to convince the jurors deciding his fate that life in prison would be sufficient and quoted him:

"If you do give me a chance to live the rest of my life in prison," he said. "I guarantee you I'll do my best to do as much good as I can."

The article stated that it took the jury four hours to decide that life in prison was not good enough for Smith and that he belonged back on death row.

The article stated that Circuit Judge Lynn Tepper would take the jury’s decision into account when she sentenced Smith, and that Tepper would impose the sentence on April 22.

On April 22, Smith was resentenced to death.

Statements at the resentencing

The article included statements by members of the Crawford family, including the following quotations attributed in the narrative:

Katie Crawford, older sister of Robert Crawford, said:

"My family lost my brother the night of Sept. 14, 1999," said older sister Katie Crawford, 27, "by way of murder."

The narrative reported that she cursed at Smith:

"Sick bastard."

The narrative reported that the judge admonished her:

"It is improper to address anyone in this manner."

The narrative reported that Katie Crawford apologized:

"I apologize your honor," Katie Crawford said.

The narrative reported she then added:

"I feel better already."

The narrative reported that Lisa Crawford, sister of Robert Crawford, spoke:

"Joey Smith is remorseless," she said.

The narrative reported that Lisa Crawford said:

"He continues to look at my family with no emotion on his face. I can hardly control my emotions and sadness looking at him. "Not once has he even expressed his sorrow for what happened. …"

The narrative stated that Smith sat emotionless, just as he had throughout the trial.

The narrative reported that Assistant State Attorney Manny Garcia read a note from Stephen Tuttle, now 24.

The note quoted Stephen Tuttle as saying:

"I was forced to drop out of school," the note said. "I am unable to hold a job. I am unable to maintain relationships. I cannot trust anyone. "I cannot help but think what my life could have been had Mr. Smith not robbed mine and Rob's childhoods."

The article reported that Katie Crawford said her brother’s last moments:

"will haunt me forever."

The narrative reported that authorities said Smith and co-defendant Faunce Pearce took Crawford and Tuttle by gunpoint after losing $1,200 in drug money, and that Crawford was gunned down at age 17.

The narrative included a quoted closing statement by Assistant State Attorney Manny Garcia:

"Is it cold? Is it calculated? Is it premeditated? Absolutely," Garcia, the prosecutor, told jurors in his closing Tuesday. "Robert Crawford knew that the second time that vehicle pulled over, he was going to die. "And Lawrence Joey Smith knew he was going to kill him."

Other details

The article stated that Pearce’s conviction and death sentence were overturned in 2006 because of lawyer error, and that Pearce awaited retrial on charges of first-degree murder and attempted murder. The article stated that Pearce, 45, would again face the death penalty.

The article stated that Smith’s conviction was upheld, but his death sentence was overturned in 2004 due to judicial error.

The article stated that Smith represented himself in the new penalty phase, using what he had learned in the prison law library, and that he testified Monday about his broken childhood, about the drugs that consumed his life and about the good he has done with fellow prisoners behind bars.

The article stated that Smith would have one more chance to persuade the judge to override the jury's recommendation at a March 13 hearing, and that then the judge would impose her sentence on April 22.

Robert Crawford was described as dead, and Stephen Tuttle was described as disabled by the bullet still lodged in his brain. The article described Tuttle as left disabled by the bullet still lodged in his brain and having been 16 at the time of the shooting.

The article stated that the shootings were execution-style shootings and occurred in 1999.