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Judge seeks more information in case of Clearwater man who wants death penalty

 
Published Feb. 27, 2015

A four-day hearing concluded Friday for Craig Wall, a Clearwater man who previously pleaded guilty to murdering his girlfriend and no contest to murdering their infant child.

But more legal work needs to be done before a judge decides whether to sentence Wall, 39, to death. Wall has said he wants to be executed.

In most death penalty cases, a jury recommends whether to impose the death penalty and a judge decides later whether to order an execution. But in Wall's case, he entered his pleas, meaning he is legally guilty of killing his girlfriend Laura Taft and their infant son Craig Wall Jr. This week's hearing concerning the death penalty was conducted before Pinellas-Pasco Circuit Judge Philip Federico, with Wall acting as his own attorney.

Federico appointed two attorneys on Friday to look into additional "mitigating circumstances" that Wall might not have brought out himself in this week's hearings. Those are factors that would argue against having Wall executed. A special report called a pre-sentence investigation also will be prepared. A decision on the death penalty is likely months away.