No death penalty for man in shooting of young boy, execution-style, at birthday party
For murdering a mother and her 7-year-old boy — during a robbery at a Spider-Man-themed birthday party — Sean Condell is going to prison for life.
A Miami-Dade judge sentenced Condell to six consecutive life terms behind bars for the horrific mass shooting in October 2006 that claimed the lives of Chaquone Watson, and his mother, Carla Queeley, and gravely wounded four others.
Chaquone was shot dead while wearing his Spider-Man costume just as the party was about to start.
"One can only imagine this child wished he possessed the powers of Spider-Man as he donned his cape to stop the terror you brought. But alas, he could not," Circuit Judge Ellen Sue Venzer told Condell. "His mother — a real superhero — showed courage when she attempted to shield her child from the hail of gunfire. She too was unable to defend against the evil. Your evil, Mr. Condell."
She added: "I hope you ponder your senseless crimes as you wait for death to take you out of prison."
The sentence was a reprieve of sorts for Condell, who originally faced the death penalty when prosecutors tried the case in April. But while jurors convicted him of first-degree murder, they did not find he possessed a weapon during the crime, forcing prosecutors to abandon their efforts to put him to death.
Condell and four other men targeted the North Miami-Dade home because they mistakenly believed there was a safe full of cash inside. They thought a man named "Haitian Pete" was the boyfriend of the homeowner and kept his drug money there.
Queely's cousins — Shantara and Ann Maynard, along with Shantara's two children — were shot point-blank in the head but survived the bloody ambush that spurred a massive police manhunt for the killers.
Condell's partner, Jose Estache, 37, who is charged with shooting the two Maynard sisters and two children, will be tried separately. He is also charged with felony murder.
Three other defendants charged in the deadly robbery attempt — Rayon Samuels, Bjon Lee and Damian Lewis — have pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and each received 20-year prison sentences. Samuels, the getaway driver, and Lee testified against Condell during the two-week trial.
This story was originally published May 9, 2018 at 1:16 PM with the headline "No death penalty for man in shooting of young boy, execution-style, at birthday party."