Florida: Death Penalty Sought for Man Charged in Woman’s ‘Brutal’ Dollar General Stabbing

Officials are seeking the death penalty for a man accused of stabbing a woman to death outside a Dollar General store in Fruitland, Florida.

The suspect in the case, 54-year-old Lemar Beasley, was indicted on first-degree murder after the November stabbing, WCJB reported December 18.

He is accused of stabbing the victim, 36-year-old Cheyenne Kastens, over 40 times in the parking lot of the store. She later died at a local hospital.

State Attorney R.J. Larizza is seeking the death penalty for the suspect, stating in the filing, “The State intends to prove and has reason to believe it can prove beyond a reasonable doubt…the defendant was previously convicted of another capital felony or of a felony involving the use or threat of violence to the person.”

Larizza added, “The capital felony was a homicide and was committed in a cold, calculated, and premeditated manner without pretense of moral or legal justification.”

The Putnam County Sheriff’s Office said Kastens was shopping at the store at the same time the suspect was there. However, they did not interact inside the business and had no prior history of knowing each other, according to CBS Austin.

When she went out to the parking lot and was near her vehicle, the suspect allegedly stabbed her, then fled the scene. Authorities later found him in a camper where he was staying.

In a social media post announcing his intent to seek the death penalty, Larizza said, “The defendant murdered our victim five months after his release from prison. He is a convicted sex offender. He is a violent career criminal. The brutal and merciless nature of this killing demands a death sentence.”

Larizzo’s office noted that Assistant State Attorney Jason Lewis is the prosecutor assigned to the case:

Meanwhile, Kasten’s loved ones are mourning her loss and working through their grief, per First Coast News.

One of her close friends told the outlet, “I can’t believe that I’ll never hear her voice again. It’s just not real, it doesn’t feel real.”