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.

SEXTON, Eddie (W/M)

DC #    532757

DOB:   05/12/42

­­­Thirteenth Judicial Circuit, Hillsborough County, Case#94-1299

Sentencing Judge (1st): The Honorable Robert Mitchams

Sentencing Judge (2nd:  The Honorable J. Rogers Padget

Attorneys, Trial (1st and 2nd): R. Terrance and R. Fraser –Special Public Defenders

Attorney, Direct Appeal (1st and 2nd):  Andrea Norgard– Assistant Public Defender

Attorneys, Collateral Appeals:  Robert Strain &David Gemmer – CCRC-M

Date of Offense: 11/17/93

Date of Sentence (1st): 11/02/94

Date of Sentence (2nd): 11/18/98

Circumstances of Offense:

Eddie Lee Sexton was convicted and sentenced to death forthe murder of Joel Good.

Joel Good was married to Estella Sexton (Pixie), thedaughter of Eddie and Estella Sexton.  Joel’s body and the body of Joeland Pixie’s son were each buried near Tampa area campsites.

Sexton and his family moved to Florida from Ohio becauseSexton was wanted on charges of sexual abuse in Ohio.  The familytemporarily stayed with Sexton’s sister in Tampa, but then moved toHillsborough State Park, where they lived in a mobile home.  During thistime, Pixie and Joel’s infant son, Skipper Lee Good, fell ill, but Sexton wouldnot allow them to take their son to the doctor for fear of being found. Sexton, also, threatened to hurt their son if Pixie did not make the baby stopcrying.  Pixie covered the baby’s face until he stopped crying.  Thebaby was found dead in the morning, and Sexton made Joel Good and Sexton’s son,William Sexton, bury the body in the woods. 

Joel wanted to go back to Ohio with Pixie and her twodaughters after the death of his son.  Pixie, at this point, informed Joelthat Eddie Sexton, her father, was also the father of her two daughters. Sexton would not allow them to return to Ohio.  He threatened to turn inPixie for killing her son if they left.  During this period of time, theSexton family moved to Little Manatee State Park.

Eddie Sexton had William Sexton, his son, kill Joel Goodbecause Eddie Sexton was afraid that Joel Good would tell the police about theinfant’s death, the sexual abuse, and the location of Sexton and his family. William, who was 22-years-old, was determined to function on the level of an8-year-old.  On 11/17/93, some members of the Sexton family, includingEddie Sexton, went on a picnic.  Other members of the family stayed at thecampsite, including Pixie Good, Joel Good, and William Sexton.  Pixietestified that William and Joel left the campsite and went into thewoods.  Pixie and her sister, Sherry Sexton, went to look for them whenthey heard Joel shout.  According to Pixie, they found William stranglingJoel with a rope.  Pixie went and found her father, Eddie Sexton, bringinghim to where William and Joel were in the woods.  Sexton saw that Joel wasstill moving and told William to finish killing Joel. 

Eddie and William Sexton buried the body of Joel Good with ashovel that Eddie Sexton sent Pixie to buy.  Eddie Sexton told WilliamSexton to cut off Joel Good’s hands so that there would not be fingerprints,but William was not able to cut off his hands. 

The state’s medical examiner observed ligature marks aroundthe Joel Good’s neck and a deep cut on the his right hand.  She concludedthat the victim was strangled to death.

Sherry Sexton, however, gave a different account of theevents surrounding Joel Good’s death.  She testified that Pixie helpedWilliam kill Joel Good.  Sherry also reported that Eddie Sexton was upsetwith William for killing Joel and that Pixie said she was glad Joel was dead.

The FBI tracked the Sexton family to the Little ManateeRiver Campground.  The FBI were investigating the Sexton family due to thecharges of Sexual Misconduct of the Sexton parents against their children andthe charges of Unlawful Flight to Avoid Prosecution in Ohio.  Eddie Sextonmade a phone call to his brother-in-law in Indiana and charged the call to hisprevious number in Ohio.  The FBI determined that the call was placed froma pay phone in the Little Manatee River State Park.  The FBI alsodetermined that the Sexton family was probably driving a gray 1993 NissanSentra that Eddie Sexton had bought from his brother-in-law but had not madethe payments; therefore, Sexton’s brother-in-law reported the automobile asstolen.  The FBI in Ohio contacted the FBI in Tampa and gave them theinformation about the location of the Sexton family and their automobile. On 01/14/94, the FBI located the Sexton family at the Little Manatee RiverState Park.  The FBI maintained surveillance on the Sexton family andarrested Eddie and Estella Sexton when they left the campsite in theautomobile.

The Stark County Sheriff’s Department questioned CharlesSexton, a son of Eddie and Estella Sexton, after Joel Good’s aunt reported JoelGood missing.  Charles Sexton told them that Joel Good and Skipper Goodwere both dead.  He showed officials the burial locations for both Joeland Skipper Good.

Current Prison Sentence History:

Hillsborough County Circuit Court # 94-7915

Eddie Sexton conspired with family members, specifically hisson Willie Sexton, to murder a campground resident, Raymond Hesser.  EddieSexton wanted to assume the identity of Hesser due to Sexton’s fugitivestatus.  The Sexton family also planned to take Hesser’s camper and truckafter he was dead.  After killing Hesser, the Sextons would dispose of hisbody in the Little Manatee River State Park.  The FBI arrested members ofthe Sexton family, including Eddie and Willie Sexton, which prevented thecompletion of the Hesser murder.  Eddie Sexton was sentenced to 30 yearsfor Conspiracy to Commit First-Degree Murder on 11/02/94.

Codefendant Status: 

William Sexton (Case# 94-1299) was convicted ofSecond-Degree Murder for the murder of Joel Good on 11/17/93.  WilliamSexton was sentenced to 25 years on 11/10/93.

Trial Summary:

01/14/94         Sexton was arrested for the murder of Joel Good.

02/16/94         Sexton was indicted on the following counts:

                                   Count I:           FirstDegree Murder (Joel Good)

10/06/94         Sexton was found guilty of Count I of the indictment during the first trial.

10/07/94         Upon advisory sentencing, the jury, by a 7 to 5 majority, voted for the deathpenalty.

11/02/94         Sexton was sentenced as follows:

                                   Count I:            FirstDegree Murder – Death

09/03/98         On remand from the Florida Supreme Court for a new trial, a jury found Sextonguilty for Count I of the indictment during the second trial.

09/04/98         Upon advisory sentencing, the jury, by an 8 to 4 majority, voted for the deathpenalty.

11/18/98         Sexton was sentenced as follows:

                                   Count I:            FirstDegree Murder – Death

Appeals Summary:

Florida Supreme Court – Direct Appeal (1st)

FSC #86,132

697 So. 2d 833

07/20/95         Appeal filed

07/17/97         FSC reversed the judgment and sentence and remanded for a new trial

08/18/97         Mandate issued

Florida Supreme Court – Direct Appeal (2nd)

FSC #94,487

775 So. 2d 923

12/10/98         Appeal filed

10/12/00         FSC affirmed the conviction and sentence

12/21/00         Rehearing denied

01/22/01         Mandate issued

Circuit Court – 3.850 Motion

CC# 94-1299

01/18/02         Motion filed

03/21/02         Amended motion filed

03/11/03         Motion denied in part and granted in part (for an evidentiary hearing)

04/06/06         Evidentiary Hearing held

05/08/06         Evidentiary Hearing held

07/28/06         Evidentiary Hearing held

01/08/07         Circuit Court denied motion

Florida Supreme Court – 3.850 Motion Appeal

FSC# 07-286

997 So.2d 1073

02/14/07          Appeal filed

09/18/08          Disposition affirmed

10/02/08          Motion for Rehearing filed

12/17/08          Rehearing denied

01/05/09          Mandate entered

United States District Court, Middle District –Petition for Writ of Habeas Corpus

USDC# 09-404

(Pending)

03/06/09          Petition filed

Factors Contributing to the Delay in Imposition ofSentence:

The case was remanded to the trial court for a new trial bythe Florida Supreme Court on 07/17/97.

Case Information:

Sexton filed his first Direct Appeal in the Florida SupremeCourt on 07/20/95.  Sexton contended that the court mishandled aggravatingfactors and that capital punishment was not proportionate to the crimecommitted.  Sexton further argued that the trial court erred in allowingtestimony that Sexton allegedly physically and sexually abused his children,practiced Satanism, threatened his children if they discussed family issuesoutside of the family, and trained his children to kill government agents,specifically FBI agents.  The Florida Supreme Court determined thatallowing the testimony of the children to these acts outside of the murder ofJoel Good might have inflamed the jury; therefore, the Florida Supreme Courtreversed the sentence and conviction and remanded for a new trial on07/17/97.  A Mandate was issued on 08/18/97.

Sexton filed his second Direct Appeal in the Florida SupremeCourt on 12/10/98.  The issues addressed included that the trial courterred in admitting evidence about Skipper Lee Good’s death, in not grantingSexton new counsel, in admitting victim impact testimony, and in mishandlingaggravating factors.  Furthermore, Sexton argued that the sentence ofdeath was disproportionate and unconstitutional.  The Florida SupremeCourt did not find errors that warranted reversing the conviction or sentenceand affirmed the conviction and sentence on 10/12/00.  Rehearing wasdenied on 12/21/00.  A Mandate was issued on 01/22/01.

Sexton filed a 3.850 Motion with the Circuit Court on01/18/02.  Sexton filed Amended 3.850 Motions on 03/21/02.  Themotion was denied in part and granted in part (for an evidentiary hearing) on03/11/03.  On 04/06/06, 05/08/06, and 07/28/06, Evidentiary Hearings wereheld, and on 01/08/07, the CC denied the motion.

Sexton filed a 3.850 Motion Appeal with the Florida SupremeCourt on 02/14/07.  On 09/18/08, the Florida Supreme Court upheld the sentenceand conviction imposed by the Trial Court.  On 10/02/08, Sexton filed a Motionfor Rehearing in the Florida Supreme Court.  On 12/17/08, the Florida SupremeCourt denied the Motion for Rehearing.  On 01/05/09, the Florida Supreme Courtentered a mandate in this case.

On 03/06/09, Sexton filed a Petition for Writ of HabeasCorpus in the United States District Court, Middle District.  This case iscurrently pending.

________________________________________________________________________

Report Date:     03/22/02        SQ

Approved:        06/27/02         WS

Updated:         03/30/09         AEH