ALVA Woodpeckers build home in Alva woman’s house You may have heard of squatters, but this woman is dealing with squawkers. Who needs a rooster to wake up when you have woodpeckers?
FORT MYERS Man claims he was trapped in a high-rise for 5 days A 77-year-old man wants justice after he claims he spent days trapped on the 24th floor of a high-rise apartment building.
PUNTA GORDA Charlotte Correctional prisoner arrested for death of another inmate State Attorney Amira Fox convened a grand jury, which decided to move forward with a case against a Charlotte Correctional inmate.
SANIBEL Construction near Dairy Queen eagle nest on Sanibel raises concerns While many eagle nests may be a bit difficult to see, one nest has always been a favorite for Sanibel residents and tourists.
The environmental effects of artificial sweeteners Experts are studying how the foods we eat affect the environment, especially after we flush our waste down the toilet.
Victim reacts to man exposing himself to her Ring camera You get a notification on your phone from your ring camera app that someone is at the door, only to find out it is someone exposing themselves. It’s the last thing victim Maria Kivi wanted or expected to see last week.
LEE COUNTY The art of capturing your eye and drawing you in How do you capture young, hip, trendy, fun, movers and shakers, all in a pose? We take you behind the scenes of a Gulfshore Life cover shoot.
FORT MYERS The lives of two SJC Boxers changed in the ring Two SJC Boxers, Mario Nunez and Arbon Kurtishi, help each other in the ring as each of them had their lives changed because of boxing.
FORT MYERS Chlamydia cases rising sharply in Lee County If you think about a crowded space- something with more than 250 people- if it’s in Lee county, statistically one person has chlamydia.
SANIBEL Sanibel resort day passes hope to get more business on the island A pass will allow vacationers to hang out at a Sanibel beach club for a day in hopes of drumming up some business.
Voting equipment tested ahead of Lee County elections Voting equipment is being tested in Lee County. This is to ensure all ballots are printed and counted correctly for the upcoming election.
Collier County teen assaulted after leaving party The teen has been charged and the sheriff’s office said they’re aware that many believe felony charges are in order, but under Florida law, there are very specific criteria that must be met for felony charges to be filed.
WINK weather team watching tropical wave over Atlantic Ocean The Weather Authority is watching a tropical disturbance over the Central Atlantic Ocean.
CAPE CORAL Cape Coral drug bust leads investigators to fake fentanyl, cash and guns Cape Coral man arrest on drug charges. Investigators said they found, guns, drugs, and more than $32,000 in Richard Riley’s home.
NAPLES Naples youth flag football team to compete in Ohio tournament This weekend, the Naples Lunatics Green will compete in the Superhero Sports tournament in Canton, Ohio.
ALVA Woodpeckers build home in Alva woman’s house You may have heard of squatters, but this woman is dealing with squawkers. Who needs a rooster to wake up when you have woodpeckers?
FORT MYERS Man claims he was trapped in a high-rise for 5 days A 77-year-old man wants justice after he claims he spent days trapped on the 24th floor of a high-rise apartment building.
PUNTA GORDA Charlotte Correctional prisoner arrested for death of another inmate State Attorney Amira Fox convened a grand jury, which decided to move forward with a case against a Charlotte Correctional inmate.
SANIBEL Construction near Dairy Queen eagle nest on Sanibel raises concerns While many eagle nests may be a bit difficult to see, one nest has always been a favorite for Sanibel residents and tourists.
The environmental effects of artificial sweeteners Experts are studying how the foods we eat affect the environment, especially after we flush our waste down the toilet.
Victim reacts to man exposing himself to her Ring camera You get a notification on your phone from your ring camera app that someone is at the door, only to find out it is someone exposing themselves. It’s the last thing victim Maria Kivi wanted or expected to see last week.
LEE COUNTY The art of capturing your eye and drawing you in How do you capture young, hip, trendy, fun, movers and shakers, all in a pose? We take you behind the scenes of a Gulfshore Life cover shoot.
FORT MYERS The lives of two SJC Boxers changed in the ring Two SJC Boxers, Mario Nunez and Arbon Kurtishi, help each other in the ring as each of them had their lives changed because of boxing.
FORT MYERS Chlamydia cases rising sharply in Lee County If you think about a crowded space- something with more than 250 people- if it’s in Lee county, statistically one person has chlamydia.
SANIBEL Sanibel resort day passes hope to get more business on the island A pass will allow vacationers to hang out at a Sanibel beach club for a day in hopes of drumming up some business.
Voting equipment tested ahead of Lee County elections Voting equipment is being tested in Lee County. This is to ensure all ballots are printed and counted correctly for the upcoming election.
Collier County teen assaulted after leaving party The teen has been charged and the sheriff’s office said they’re aware that many believe felony charges are in order, but under Florida law, there are very specific criteria that must be met for felony charges to be filed.
WINK weather team watching tropical wave over Atlantic Ocean The Weather Authority is watching a tropical disturbance over the Central Atlantic Ocean.
CAPE CORAL Cape Coral drug bust leads investigators to fake fentanyl, cash and guns Cape Coral man arrest on drug charges. Investigators said they found, guns, drugs, and more than $32,000 in Richard Riley’s home.
NAPLES Naples youth flag football team to compete in Ohio tournament This weekend, the Naples Lunatics Green will compete in the Superhero Sports tournament in Canton, Ohio.
Wisner Desmaret avoided the death penalty on Friday while representing himself. Desmaret also refused to have anyone testify about his mental health issues. Desmaret’s standby attorney told reporters he believes the jury spared Desmaret’s life because of what they saw from him in the courtroom, pointing toward mental illness. Since the jury wasn’t polled, we don’t know how many favored the death penalty and were opposed. Nevertheless, legal experts think his life was ultimately spared after he chose to represent himself. “The jury has returned a verdict that indicates life in prison without the possibility of parole,” the judge said. Desmaret will spend the rest of his life behind bars, after the jury recognized the aggravating factors were there qualifying him for the death penalty. “Of all the cases that come before a court, this was certainly one that in many people’s eyes deserved a death penalty. And yet, he was able to avoid it,” FGCU law professor Doctor Pamella Seay, said. In the capital murder case, Desmaret chose to represent himself after being deemed competent by the court. What followed were bizarre statements and actions from Desmaret in the courtroom. He would ask jurors about witchcraft and sexual orientations. Even accusing Officer Jobbers-Miller of trying to kill him to steal his blood for a transfusion. Desmaret also claimed his standby attorney was making death threats and never let anyone, including his family, testify in his defense. “He may not have meant to do this. But I think if he did, he’s a lot smarter than we give him credit for, represent himself, act as odd as he is acting. And let the jury decide if this is this is a person that should be put to death, or this is a person that should be spared from the death penalty because of his own mental issues. And there’s clearly some mental issues. But that’s different than being competent to stand trial. And that’s different from having a mental illness at the time that the incident occurred,” Scot Goldbert, an attorney at Goldberg Noone Abraham, said. Seay explained, had Desmaret been represented by an attorney, it’s uncertain the jury would have ever heard him speak. “He made a lot of accusations and, and made many statements that seemed to appear as though he was not in control of his faculties, that he was not as mentally competent as he otherwise should have been,” Dr. Seay said. “And whether or not an attorney representing him would have been able to show that side of him. Probably not because he would never have testified people would never have heard him. All he would have been doing is sitting at the table.” Dr. Seay pointed out that unless he was testifying under oath, none of his statements should have been seen as evidence by the jury. However, it’s possible it did have an impact. “There’s so many things that came out in this trial, simply because he was able to speak,” Dr. Seay said. And Goldberg thinks that’s why the jury could have spared his life. “Clearly anybody that watched the trial, or read any of the transcripts, or the media things in the news, you would say this person is not very well balanced. And so if the jury sees all of that, and he’s not asking for anything except making statements about why he thought the whole world was against them, I think that could work in his favor,” Goldberg said. There will be another hearing within the coming weeks where the judge will sentence Desmaret based on the jury’s recommendation.