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A Seminole County jury voted 11–1 Thursday to recommend the death penalty for Donovan L. Faison, convicted of murdering his pregnant girlfriend, Kaylin Fiengo, 18, and their unborn son after she refused to have an abortion.
- Advertisement - The decision came just days after the same jury found Faison guilty of first-degree murder with a firearm, killing an unborn child, and burglary with a firearm for the 2022 shooting that shocked the Sanford community. Prosecutors said Faison lured Fiengo to Coastline Park, where Sanford Police later found her dead inside her Nissan Versa from a gunshot wound to the head.
The final sentencing decision now rests with Circuit Judge Donna Goerner, who will review the jury’s recommendation during a hearing scheduled for December 5.
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Cold and Calculated Murder
Prosecutors argued that the crime met multiple aggravating factors required under Florida law to justify the death penalty. Assistant State Attorney Stewart Stone described the killing as “cold, calculated, and premeditated.”
“This was an execution-style killing,” Stone told jurors. “He planned it, lured her there, and carried it out without mercy.”
- Advertisement - Text messages presented at trial showed Faison’s mounting anger after Fiengo refused to terminate her pregnancy. In one message, he told a friend he would “crop her out,” which prosecutors said foreshadowed his deadly intentions.
Family’s Emotional Testimonies
During the sentencing hearing, Fiengo’s family gave heartbreaking victim-impact statements. Her mother, Sarah Schweickert, said she lives each day haunted by the loss.
“No words can capture the depth of pain that comes with losing your daughter to murder,” Schweickert told the court. “Every day I wake up and face a world that no longer has her smile, her laughter, her hugs. The grief never leaves—it sits in my chest like a weight that will never go away.”
Other relatives described Fiengo as a bright young woman with her whole life ahead of her, now gone because of one man’s obsession and anger.
Defense Pleads for Life Sentence
Members of Faison’s family also took the stand, asking jurors to spare his life and instead sentence him to life in prison without parole. Under Florida law, at least eight of twelve jurors must vote in favor of death after determining that at least one aggravating factor exists. The 11–1 vote reflected overwhelming support for capital punishment.
Prosecutor Domenick Leo said the jury’s decision was both thoughtful and just.
“The death penalty should be reserved as the ultimate punishment for the most atrocious conduct,” Leo said. “A father who executed the mother of his child—and his unborn child—in a manner that demonstrated both detailed planning and deceit falls squarely within the type of conduct that justifies its application.”
What Comes Next
Judge Goerner’s decision on December 5 will determine whether Faison is formally sentenced to death or spends the rest of his life behind bars. If the court upholds the jury’s recommendation, Faison will join a growing list of Florida inmates sentenced under the state’s updated capital punishment law, which requires a minimum 8–4 jury vote for death rather than unanimity.
For the Fiengo family, the long legal battle has been a painful pursuit of justice for Kaylin and her unborn child—a loss they say can never truly be healed.
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