Charlotte County jury recommends death sentence for man who killed 2 during prison escape attempt

PUNTA GORDA, Fla. —

A Charlotte County jury recommended the death penalty for Dwight Eaglin, who murdered a correctional officer and fellow inmate during an attempted prison escape in 2003.

According to the State Attorney's Office, the jury returned its death sentence verdict shortly before 7 p.m. Wednesday following a two-week-long penalty phase trial.

Eaglin was sentenced to death in 2006 for the murders, but following a change in Florida's current death penalty law, his lawyers challenged his sentence, and he was granted a new penalty phase trial, the State Attorney's Office said.

Eaglin murdered Correctional Officer Darla Lathrem and inmate Charlie Fuston in 2003 during an escape attempt from the Charlotte Correctional Institution. Eaglin beat both Lathrem and Fuston to death with hammers.

Lathrem was supervising a work crew at night when Eaglin lured her away and murdered her.

At the time of the murders, Eaglin was serving a life sentence for cutting the throat of a man and stabbing him to death in 1998.

The jury voted 11-1 in favor of the death penalty for the murder of Lathrem and 12-0 in favor of the death penalty for the murder of Fuston.

A Spencer hearing is set for March 20, and sentencing is scheduled for March 27.

Janet Best, the sister of Darla Lathrem, provided a statement on the jury recommendation: "Our family is grateful that jurors made the appropriate recommendation. And we look forward to the Judge imposing that recommendation, so that justice will finally be served. We miss Darla very much."

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