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.
DUROUSSEAU, PAUL (Black/Male)
DOB: 08/11/70
Fourteenth Judicial Circuit, Duval County Case #03-10182
Sentencing Judge: The Honorable Mark H. Mahon
Attorney, Trial: Waffa Hanania – Public Defender’s Office
Attorney, Direct Appeal: Nada M. Carey – Public Defender’sOffice
Attorney, Collateral Appeals: TBA
Date of Offense: 07/26/99
Date of Sentence: 12/13/07
Circumstances of Offense:
Paul Durousseau was sentenced todeath after being convicted of the strangulation murder of TyresaMack.
On July 26, 1999, between the hours of 9:30 a.m. and 1:00p.m., Mack and a friend applied for employment at various businessestablishments. Eyewitnesses placed Durousseau atMack‘s Jacksonville apartment sometime between noon and 2:00 p.m. One of theeyewitnesses saw Durousseau carrying a television outof the apartment and watched as he placed it in his car. The last time anyoneheard from Mack was around 1:25 p.m. that afternoon when Mack spoke with afriend on the phone. Mack did not pick her children up from daycare that dayand missed a 3:00 p.m. doctor‘s appointment for her youngest child. Around 7:00p.m. that same evening, Mack‘s sister and her stepfather went to Mack‘sapartment in an attempt to locate her. At that time, they discovered Mack‘sbody, which was lying in a semi-fetal position on the bed. Her body was nudefrom the waist down and a white cord was wrapped around her neck. The livingroom television and a “X‘s and O‘s”necklace and bracelet set that Mack always wore were missing. Durousseau‘s DNA was found in Mack‘s vagina and the medicalexaminer concluded that Mack died from asphyxia.
Additional Information:
On June 23, 2003, Durousseau wasindicted on five counts of first-degree murder for the murders of NicholeWilliams, Nikia Kilpatrick, ShawandaMcCallister, JovannaJefferson, and Surita Cohen. The similar methodologyemployed by the perpetrator, as well as DNA evidence from each crime scene,caused investigators to conclude that Mack was one of Durousseau‘svictims. On August 26, 2003, Durousseau was arrestedfor the murder of Mack. The state nolleprossed the five collateral murders.
Trial Summary:
09/04/03 Indicted as follows:
Count I: First-degree murder
06/08/07 Jury returned guilty verdict
06/28/07 Jury recommended death by a vote of 10-2
12/13/07 Sentenced as follows:
Count I: First-degree murder – Death
Appeal Summary:
Florida Supreme Court – Direct Appeal
FSC# 08-68
(Pending)
01/22/08 Direct appeal filed
12/09/10 Conviction and sentence affirmed
12/22/10 Motion for Rehearing
02/21/11 Motion denied
03/09/11 Mandate issued
Factors Contributing to the Delay in Imposition ofSentence:
It took almost four yearsfor Durousseau’s case to go to trial.
Case Information:
On 01/22/08, Durousseau filed a direct appeal with the Florida SupremeCourt, in which he raised the following issues: (1) admission of Williamsrule evidence of the collateral murders, (2) evidence was legally insufficientto support the pecuniary-gain aggravator, (3) rejection of expert’s testimonyregarding mental mitigation in favor of conflicting lay testimony, (4) theevidence was insufficient to support a first-degree murder conviction, and (5) Ringv. Arizona. On 12/09/10, the Florida Supreme court upheld Durousseau’s conviction and sentence.
On 12/22/10, Durousseau filed a Motion for Rehearing in the FloridaSupreme Court. That motion was denied on 02/21/11.
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Report Date: 12/10/10 JJK
Approved: 12/14/10 RM
Updated: 03/11/11 JJK