The jury has reached a decision in the penalty phase of Christopher Whitaker—the man convicted of raping and killing 14-year-old Alianna DeFreeze in 2017.
After three days of deliberating, the jury has recommended the death penalty. The decision among all 12 jurors was unanimous.
There was an audible gasp when the recommended sentence of death was read by the jury. Formal sentencing set for March 5th. #WhitakerTrial @WEWS
— Jordan Vandenberge (@NEWSjordanv) February 23, 2018
Judge Carolyn Friedland will decide whether to accept the jury's recommendation for the death penalty on March 5.
Whitaker was found guilty of aggravated murder, along with charges of rape, kidnapping, aggravated burglary, tampering with evidence and offenses against a human corpse.
Speaking to the court on Thursday, Whitaker addressed the court for the first time, expressing remorse and regret for his actions.
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"From the beginning, I have accepted full responsibly for my actions," Whitaker said. "I assisted the detective as to where to find my clothes and boots I was wearing that day. I never wanted this to happen and ever since that day, I've felt regret and remorse."
Although he confessed to the brutal killing of Alianna, Whitaker claimed he was high on crack cocaine at the time of the incident.
Alianna was abducted while on her way to school on Jan. 26, 2017. Her body was found in an abandoned home. Whitaker was found guilty on all counts, including murder, rape, kidnapping, aggravated burglary, tampering with evidence and offenses against a human corpse.
Her disappearance ignited a city-wide search and started a dialogue about the city's blight problem. Since her death, lawmakers, her family and the City of Cleveland have worked to make sure something like this doesn't happen again.
During the few crucial hours of her disappearance, her family wasn't notified that she didn't make it to school. Senator Williams, of Cleveland, is behind Senate Bill 82, or the "Alianna Alert" bill — mandating all schools notify parents if their child doesn't show up.
But it's been nearly a year since her bill was introduced and Senator Williams said there has been some pushback. Williams said she is working on an amended bill that will give schools 90 minutes to call parents if there children didn't show up to school.
