Punta Gorda inmate sentenced to death for strangling cellmate at prison

PUNTA GORDA, Fla. (WINK)— A man convicted of the first-degree murder of an inmate at the Charlotte Correctional Institution has been sentenced to death.

William Tulenko murdered James Lindsey Howze on February 29, 2024, when both men were incarcerated at the facility. 

At the time of the murder, Tulenko was already incarcerated for an armed robbery in Hillsborough County and was pending trial for a murder in Santa Rosa County. 

Tulenko had been planning the murder for several months since he was placed in a cell with Howze.

Tulenko pleaded guilty to the murder, and a penalty phase trial was held to determine whether he would receive a sentence of life in prison or the death penalty. 

His execution date has not yet been set.