Timothy Lee Whistler avoided a possible death sentence for beating a psychic to death with a Champagne bottle in Cassadaga a quarter century ago.
Whistler pleaded guilty to a lesser charge of second-degree murder in Volusia County Circuit Court, served about 20 years in state prison and was released in 2016. He then moved to Missouri to live with his wife and began serving his 20 years of probation.
But in February, he was arrested in Missouri on a charge of driving while intoxicated, a violation of his probation.
The 49-year-old Whistler was extradited back to the Volusia County Branch Jail and that’s when COVID-19 became a death sentence he could not avoid.
An appeals court has upheld the conviction of a former college professor who was released on bond while he appealed his case, a release that sparked outrage from Volusia County Sheriff Mike Chitwood and the family of the young victim.
Mark Fugler, 63, was convicted on June 6, 2019, of three counts each of lewd and lascivious exhibition; lewd and lascivious conduct; and showing obscene materials to a minor.
Senior Judge R. Michael Hutcheson sentenced Fugler to 15 years in prison, but later released him on a $200,000 bond while he appealed his conviction. Hutcheson revoked bond and sent Fugler back to jail after community outrage.