The Commission on Capital Cases updates thisinformation regularly. This information; however, is subject to changeand may not reflect the latest status of an inmate’s case and should not berelied upon for statistical or legal purposes.
CONDE, Rory (W/M)
DC# M25274
DOB: 06/14/65
Eleventh Judicial Circuit, Dade County Case # 95-19816
Sentencing Judge: The Honorable Jerald Bagley
Attorney, Trial: Jeffrey Fink & J. Rafael Rodriguez –Special Assistant Public Defenders
Attorney, Direct Appeal: Benjamin Waxman – Special AssistantPublic Defender
Attorney, Collateral Appeals: Gustavo Garcia-Montes –Registry
Date of Offense: 09/16/94 – 01/10/95
Date of Sentence: 03/07/00
Circumstances of Offense:
On 01/13/95, Rory Conde picked up a prostitute, Rhonda Dunn,and took her to his apartment. After twice engaging in sexual relations,Dunn got up to go to the bathroom. Conde followed her and began tomanually strangle her from behind. Dunn and Conde struggled and fell tothe floor, but Dunn eventually died from asphyxiation. Conde disposed ofher body by driving it to another location and leaving it on the side of theroad.
In June of 1995, fire rescue personnel found a woman, whowas naked and bound in duct tape, trapped in an apartment. Whileinvestigating the kidnapping, police found evidence in the apartment thatlinked the tenant to the six prostitute murders. The apartment was rentedby Conde, and he became a suspect in the murders. After his arrest, Condeconsented to searches of his apartment and car and the taking of saliva andblood samples. The day after his arrest, Conde confessed to the murders. DNA evidence linked Conde to six murders.
The sequence of events in the Dunn murder occurred on fiveprior dates. On each occasion, Conde picked up prostitutes, engaged insexual relations, strangled them, and disposed of the bodies. The five previousvictims (and date of death) are: Lazaro Comesana (09/16/94), Elisa Martinez(10/08/94), Charity Nava (11/20/94), Wanda Crawford (11/25/94), and NecoleSchneider (12/17/94). Conde stated that after each murder, he knelt overthe body and verbally blamed the victim for his marital problems. Themurders were preceded by the break-up of his marriage. Conde also engagedin post-mortem sexual relations with each of the victims.
Additional Information:
In addition to a death sentence, Conde is also imprisonedfor multiple crimes committed before the Dunn murder:
| Offense Date | Offense | Sentence Date | County | Case No. | Prison Sentence Length |
| 04/18/1995 | BURGLARY ASSAULT ANY PERSON | 02/13/1998 | MIAMI-DADE | 9522981 | 18Y 10M 0D |
| 04/18/1995 | SEX BAT/ WPN. OR FORCE | 02/13/1998 | MIAMI-DADE | 9522981 | 18Y 10M 0D |
| 04/18/1995 | ROBB. GUN/DEADLY WPN | 02/13/1998 | MIAMI-DADE | 9522981 | 18Y 10M 0D |
| 04/18/1995 | KIDNAP;COMM.OR FAC.FELONY | 02/13/1998 | MIAMI-DADE | 9522981 | 18Y 10M 0D |
Trial Summary:
07/12/95 Indicted as follows:
Count I: First-Degree Murder (Lomensana)
Count II: First-Degree Murder (Martinez)
Count III: First-Degree Murder(Nava)
Count IV: First-Degree Murder(Crawford)
Count V: First-DegreeMurder (Schneider)
Count VI: First-Degree Murder(Dunn)
07/26/95 Count VI severed from the other counts of the indictment
10/19/99 Jury returned a guilty verdict on Count VI of the indictment
12/14/99 Jury recommended death by a vote of 9-3
03/07/00 Sentenced as follows:
Count VI: First-Degree Murder(Dunn) – Death
04/03/01 Sentenced as follows:
Count I: First-DegreeMurder (Lomensana) – Life
Count II: First-Degree Murder (Martinez) – Life
Count III: First-Degree Murder(Nava) – Life
Count IV: First-Degree Murder(Crawford) – Life
Count V: First-DegreeMurder (Schneider) – Life
Appeal Summary:
Florida Supreme Court – Direct Appeal
FSC# 00-789
860 So.2d 930
04/10/00 Appeal filed
09/04/03 Convictions and sentences affirmed
11/05/03 Rehearing denied and Mandate issued
U.S. Supreme Court – Petition for Writ of Certiorari
USSC# 03-8759
541 U.S. 977
02/02/04 Petition filed
04/05/04 USSC denied Petition
Circuit Court – 3.851 Motion
CC# 95-19816
03/24/05 Motion filed
09/07/06 Evidentiary Hearing held
09/29/06 CC denied motion
Florida Supreme Court – 3.851 Motion Appeal
FSC# 06-1998
35 So.3d 660
10/09/06 Appeal filed
02/11/10 FSC affirmed the denial of the motion
05/20/10 Rehearing denied
06/07/10 Mandate issued
United States District Court, Southern District –Petition for Writ of Habeas Corpus
USDC# 10-21848
(Pending)
06/07/10 Petition filed
Factors Contributing to the Delay in Imposition ofSentence:
The Direct Appeal was pending for over three years (04/10/00– 09/04/03). Additionally, the 3.851 Motion Appeal was pending for over threeyears (10/09/06 – 02/11/10).
Case Information:
On 04/10/00, Conde filed a Direct Appeal with the FloridaSupreme Court, citing the following errors: denying challenges to six jurors;granting the State’s motion to strike a prospective juror; denying a motion forjudgment of acquittal; admitting evidence of the prior murders; admittingtestimony of collateral crimes, admitting evidence of police warnings to Dunnabout a series of murders and Conde’s flight at the time of arrest; failing tolimit prosecutorial comments during opening and closing arguments; denying amotion to suppress a confession; finding the aggravating circumstances; failingto find mitigating circumstances; admitting evidence about prior violentfelonies; excluding mitigation testimony on the basis of a discovery violation;lacking proportionality regarding the death sentence; and Florida’sunconstitutional death penalty statute. On 09/04/03, the court affirmed theconvictions and sentences.
On 02/02/04, Conde filed a Petition for Writ of Certiorariwith the U.S. Supreme Court, which was denied on 04/05/04.
On 03/24/05, Conde filed a 3.851 Motion with the CircuitCourt and an Evidentiary Hearing was held on 09/07/06. On 09/29/06, theCC denied the motion.
On 10/09/06, Conde filed a 3.851 Motion Appeal with theFlorida Supreme Court, which was denied on 02/11/10.
On 06/07/10, Conde filed a Petition for Writ of HabeasCorpus with the United States District Court, Southern District, which ispending.
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Report Date: 07/26/04 JFL
Updated: 07/07/10 KKR