A Fort Lauderdale man who shot a couple to death in 2010 was sentenced to death Thursday afternoon.
Peter Avsenew, 33, faced either a life sentence or the death penalty. During closing arguments, prosecutors showed the Broward jury photos of 52-year-old Stephen Adams and 47-year-old Kevin Powell shot dead inside their Wilton Manors home.
“I have no regrets in my life and I am proud of the decisions I’ve made. No one really knows what happened that day. Everyone can speculate what ifs and maybes until they’re blue in the face, which they’ll never really know,” Avsenew said.
The Sun Sentinel reports that prosecutors argued Avsenew killed both men then stole their money and car after responding to a sex ad on Craigslist. The defendant disagrees with that telling and stated in court that he found the men dead, but did not call police because he’d been working for the couple as an escort. Avsenew then rushed to his mother’s house, but she became suspicious and turned him in to the police.
Peter Avsenew was found guilty in November. Against advice from a judge and his former lawyers, the convicted killer represented himself at the sentencing hearing.
