Florida – A Florida man was found guiIty by a county jury and entered the penaIty phase of his triaI this week after being convicted of first-degree premeditated murder, the kiIIing of an unborn chiId and burgIary related to the death of his 18-year-oId girIfriend, KayIin. Sentencing proceedings began following the verdict, and prosecutors have said they will seek the death penaIty.

The victim was discovered dead inside her vehicle in Nov. 2022. An officer on patrol found a running vehicle backed into a parking spot and located the woman in the driver’s seat with an apparent gunshot wound. Crime scene investigators recovered a spent shell casing near the vehicle and an ultrasound image a short distance from the victim.

According to the Florida authorities, the defendant had erupted in anger when the victim sent him a photo showing two positive pregnancy tests. He accused her of lying and sent a text demanding an abortion. Prosecutors said the defendant felt pressured because he was living with another woman who suspected him of cheating, and his anger over the situation contributed to the events that led to the victim’s death.

Investigators built their case through a combination of physical evidence, digital data and witness information. Florida authorities also obtained text messages and other digital records from the phones of the victim and the defendant, 23-year-old D. Falson, that prosecutors introduced at trial. Those communications showed that the victim had told the defendant she was pregnant with his chiID and had sent him a photo of two positive pregnancy tests; prosecutors said the defendant reacted angrily and pushed her to have an abrtion. Prosecutors also presented a message the defendant sent to a friend in which he wrote that ‘he will crop her out,’ which they argued showed intent and premeditation.

Police described the investigation as exhaustive. Detectives questioned witnesses who said the defendant had told them she was going to meet the victim at the park that night. That information, combined with the digital records placing the two in contact shortly before the killing and the physical evidence at the scene, led to the defendant’s arrest in August 2023. Florida authorities said the phone records and the testimony from friends and acquaintances were central to placing the defendant at the scene and establishing a timeline.

The defense questioned aspects of the evidence and the interpretation of digital communications, and the defense lawyers presented their case to the jury during the trial. After closing arguments, the jury deliberated for roughly two hours before returning guilty verdicts on the charges. Court filings and local reports say the jury found the defendant guilty on all counts presented to them.

The defendant remains in custody at a county correctional facility pending the outcome of the penalty-phase proceedings. If the jury recommends the death penalty, a separate set of procedures will determine the final sentence under Florida law; if not, the defendant faces life imprisonment. Court officials have set the sentencing phase to continue in the days after the verdict, when jurors will hear additional evidence and arguments related to punishment.