Kalisz sentenced to death in Hernando murders
BROOKSVILLE –
A shackled and haggard John Kalisz shuffled into a hushed courtroom Tuesday afternoon.
For a moment he made eye contact with prosecutor Pete Magrino, who convinced jurors six weeks earlier to recommend a death sentence to the three-time convicted murderer.
He limped toward his seat. He sat down, looked over his shoulder and gave one quick glance at the packed courtroom.
Kalisz was devoid of emotion as he awaited his fate. His long brown hair was gone. His gray business suit was replaced with an orange jumpsuit.
He didn’t flinch as Hernando County Circuit Judge Daniel Merritt Sr. sentenced him to death.
Kalisz, 57, fatally shot his sister, Kathryn Donovan, 61, and her employee, Deborah Tillotson, 59, the afternoon of Jan. 10, 2010. He also shot and wounded his niece, Manessa Donovan, 21, and another woman, Amy Green, 35.
All four victims were at the elder Donovan’s home at 15303 Wilhelm Road near Brooksville. Kalisz, who used to live at the house, came in through a back door and opened fire. The four women were shot a combined 14 times.
Merritt, a 14-year veteran of the bench, took over the criminal docket less than a year ago. Tuesday was the first time he had sentenced a defendant to death.
He struggled to hold back his emotions.
He called Kalisz’s crimes “appalling” and said the shootings were carried out “methodically” and in a “cold, calculated manner.”
He said the jurors’ recommendation of death was “the only logical decision” they could have made after weighing the evidence.
“The scales of life and death tilt unquestionably to the side of death,” Merritt said. “You not only forfeited your right to live among us, but you’ve forfeited your right to live at all.”
Tillotson’s daughter, Nicole DiConsiglio, who was seated in the courtroom with her husband and father, started to sob.
Kalisz was sentenced to death for killing Kathryn Donovan and Tillotson. For shooting and attempting to murder Manessa Donovan and Green, he was sentenced to consecutive life sentences.
For his burglary conviction, he was sentenced to a third life sentence.
Merritt’s last statement to Kalisz didn’t come easy. He paused in the middle to keep his composure.
“May God have mercy on your soul,” Merritt told him.
After the Brooksville shootings, Kalisz eluded capture and drove north almost 100 miles along U.S. 19. He pulled into a gas station in Cross City and was swarmed by Dixie County Sheriff’s deputies. Kalisz, who had multiple magazines full of 9mm rounds, fired his weapon at them.
Capt. Chad Reed was killed during the gunfight. Kalisz also was shot, but survived his injuries.
In February 2011, Kalisz pleaded guilty to murdering Reed and received a life sentence.
Reed’s widow preferred not to take part in a prolonged trial in pursuit of a death sentence for her husband’s murder.
Prosecutor Pete Magrino believed Kalisz’s crimes in Hernando warranted the death penalty. Jurors unanimously agreed. All 12 recommended death for Kalisz.
The trial lasted nearly two weeks and included emotional testimony from the two women who survived the shootings. They described coming face to face with their attacker, who stood over them, stared them down, said nothing and fired at them at point-blank range.
Dixie Sheriff Dewey Hatcher Sr. and several of his deputies attended Tuesday’s hearing.
He said he was “happy” with the sentence and hoped Kalisz, like many Florida inmates who have been convicted of killing a law enforcement officer, isn’t allowed to spend an extended period of time behind bars.
“We’ve got him out of society at least,” Hatcher said.
Tillotson’s family declined to speak to the media after Tuesday’s hearing. The same went for Reed’s parents. They attended every day of Kalisz’s trial. The two sets of families hugged each other in the courtroom after the sentence was read.
“It’s the right sentence as far as I’m concerned,” said Harriet Hoge, who was friends with Tillotson for 40 years.
Kalisz’s rampage took place days after his mobile home was destroyed by a propane explosion. A recovering addict who was once active in Alcoholics Anonymous, Kalisz fell off the wagon the night before he committed the killings, according to court testimony.
Losing his house put him over the edge, but Kalisz’s psychological troubles were exacerbated following an October 2009 conviction on charges of contributing to the delinquency of a minor and aggravated assault, defense witnesses said.
He was accused of leaving provocative photographs for Manessa Donovan, his niece who was underage at the time, and exposing himself to her. He denied the charges, but agreed to the plea deal. One of conditions was that he could not come in contact with his niece and sister.
Kalisz had charges pending in another state, but he was not extradited following his conviction in Hernando.
He remained stuck in Florida, unable to reclaim his roofing job in Colorado and return to the life that made him happiest. He was a ticking time bomb and his house getting destroyed lit the fuse.
Manessa Donovan was eight weeks pregnant when she was shot by her uncle. Her fetus died during emergency surgery.
The thought of Kalisz living freely and in proximity to those he blamed the most for his hardships is a source of contention for Suzanna Greif, daughter of Kathryn Donovan and sister of Manessa Donovan.
She thought Kalisz should have been put on a bus and put in jail for his out-of-state weapons charges. If he had, her mother would still be alive, she said.
“My mother lost her life and my sister (lost) her child,” Grief said.
Nancy Ferguson, Tillotson’s sister, said she was pleased with the sentence.
“Both of my brothers and I agree that this sentence should be administered as soon as possible, hopefully within our mother’s lifetime,” she said. “We do not want to see him sit on death row for the rest of his life. Our Debbie had no appeals, pardons or rights as far as John Kalisz was concerned. She did not want to die and she did nothing wrong to get the death sentence he gave her. This has shattered all of our lives forever. Nothing will ever be the same.”
[email protected] (352) 544-5283
