Killer Gets Death in Miami Herald Employee's Slaying

AP ^ | Apr 12, 2003 | The Associated Press

[Pharmboy]

KEY WEST, Fla. (AP) - A drifter who strangled a Miami Herald employee and dumped her body in the Florida Keys has been sentenced to death. Michael Anthony Tanzi, 26, was sentenced Friday by Monroe Circuit Judge Richard Payne. A jury recommended the death penalty in February.

In April 2000, Tanzi confessed to strangling Janet Acosta, a 49-year-old Herald production supervisor. Tanzi pleaded guilty in January to first-degree murder, carjacking, kidnapping and robbery charges without a plea bargain.

"You have not only forfeited your right to live among us, you have forfeited your right to live," Payne said as Acosta's family members looked on.

Prosecutors pushed for the death penalty, arguing that the April 25, 2000 murder was calculated and part of a string of felonies.

Tanzi said he forced Acosta into her van during her lunch break, drove her to the Florida Keys, used her ATM card to withdraw money and then sexually assaulted her. He then killed her and dumped her body in mangroves.

While awaiting trial, Tanzi gained notoriety for hacking into a jail's computer system, deleting law library files, obtaining information about jail workers and downloading nude images from the Internet.

Tanzi, who is from Massachusetts, also faces charges in the 1999 killing of Caroline Holder in Brockton, Mass. Prosecutors said with Friday's sentencing there is no need for extradition proceedings.

[Pharmboy]

Florida does know what to do with real bad guys...

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[ABG(anybody but Gore)]

Does Florida still have Ol' Sparky? This scum deserves nothing but the best.

[Ciexyz]

No matter what people say about Florida, it's a GREAT state. (!)

[dighton]

"In January 2000, the Florida Legislature passed legislation that allows lethal injection as an alternative method of execution in Florida. Florida administers executions by lethal injection or electric chair at the execution chamber located at Florida State Prison."

-- Florida Dept. of Corrections.

[oyez]

"You have not only forfeited your right to live among us, you have forfeited your right to live,"

You not the state, not society, not your parents, note your community, but you have...

I suprised that the Monroe County court handed out a death penalty. There is hope even in the darkest of places.

[Frank_2001]

If Ms. Acosta had a gun in her purse, she would have been able to "sentence" this animal herself!

[oyez]

The 2nd Amendment -- the real "Power to the people".

[Wondervixen]

Unless I miss my guess, injection is now the sole method in Florida.

[dighton]

According to this page, apparently updated in 2003, "the state allows prisoners to choose between the two methods."