Florida man who murdered 75-year-old woman while searching for money for crack cocaine gets death row release update

A killer who murdered a 75-year-old woman while seeking money for crack cocaine will remain on death row and is set to be executed.

A federal appeals court has ruled that the execution of Jesse Guardado, who brutally killed Jackie Malone , 75, in 2004 for drug money, will go ahead as planned. The court dismissed his claims of ineffective legal representation during his trial.

Guardado, 62, admitted to the murder but argued that his defence team failed to challenge three jurors during the sentencing phase, which could have resulted in a life sentence instead of the death penalty . In its extensive 76-page ruling, the court decided that Guardado will stay on death row.

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The judgement stated that Malone had offered to assist the murderer following his previous conviction but was horrifically assaulted in her own home.

Guardado attacked the elderly woman with a breaker bar, stabbed her, and ultimately cut her throat. This decision essentially confirms his place on death row at Union Correctional Institution.

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The condemned prisoner has remained defiant since he was formally sentenced for the murder in 2005. Like the three appellate court judges, Circuit Judge Kelvin Wells, who oversaw the trial at the time, expressed no sympathy for Guardado, knowing that Malone was trying to help him.

Judge Wells heard how Guardado bludgeoned Malone, then stabbed her and slit her throat. She was subsequently stabbed in the heart and died.

The jury unanimously found him guilty and opted for the death penalty.

Guardado, defiantly remaining seated at his sentencing, shouted: "When do I get a chance to say something?"

Malone, with her profession rooted in realty and contract work, crossed paths with Guardado shortly after his 2003 parole post-incarceration for a spate of armed robberies in Orange County. She not only rented him accommodation but also lent him money, which casts his heinous act in an even more cold-blooded light.

Her generous spirit led her to dedicate time volunteering for numerous organisations aimed at supporting mistreated and neglected children, and she was actively involved as a member of the Walton County Democratic Executive Committee.