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Authorities plan to seek the death sentence for Ian Baunach, the Hendry County bodybuilder accused of luring his ex-wife to his house and killing her in the aftermath of Hurricane Ian.
In a court filing, State Attorney Amira Fox said that Katie Baunach's murder was "done in a cold, deliberate, and intentional way without any pretense of moral or legal justification."
Ian Baunach, 43, is suspected of killing the 39-year-old nurse and mother of their two young children on September 29 or 30. Authorities claim Ian persuaded Katie to come to their former house in Fort Denaud to pick up her belongings, then murdered her and attempted to destroy evidence of the crime.
Ian has pled not guilty, and his attorney, Robert P. Harris, has expressed disappointment that the state wants to execute his client.
"Mr. Ian Baunach is a former US Marine, a combat hero who gave up his body and his peace of mind for his nation. It is disappointing that the country for which he fought is pursuing him with the ultimate penalty "Harris issued in a statement. "We believe Ian Baunach is innocent and will forcefully defend him in court."
Carolyn McKinney, Katie's mother, told USA TODAY Network-Florida that prosecutors had asked her what kind of sentence she wanted. Her beliefs motivated her to sentence herself to life in jail with no chance of release, she stated in a text message.
Before publishing, the State Attorney's Office did not reply to a request for comment.
Baunach is presently being detained in federal detention while awaiting trial on federal gun charges stemming from the alleged possession of unlicensed silencers. Authorities reportedly discovered the silencers at Ian's house after searching it after Katie's abduction.
"I can't say I want someone to die as a Christian. But, the State Attorney said that it is the only way to ensure that he receives at least life in prison "McKinney penned the piece. "They also said that this may be amended or discussed in the future."
In January, USA TODAY Network-Florida published an investigation into how multiple law enforcement agencies missed chances to protect Katie in the months before her death.
In November 2021, Ian allegedly grabbed Katie during a fight and tried to strangle her. She called the police. Fox's office charged Ian with a felony. But Katie forgave him after he told her he had found God – and prosecutors dropped the charges, despite the case’s lead prosecutor writing in case notes that she would have continued without victim testimony in “90 percent” of similar cases.
A guy who has been indicted for the murder of his ex-wife is facing the possibility of the death sentence from the state of Florida.
A grand jury has charged Ian Baunach on the charge of first-degree murder for the death of his ex-wife Katie Baunach, who was 39 years old.
Katie vanished a few days after Hurricane Ian passed through the area. The subsequent arrest of Ian Baunach took place four days after he had been reported missing.
The skeletal bones of Katie were discovered at his residence. Katie's vehicle was still at Ian's place when we checked on it.
The state has said that they want to pursue the death sentence in this case because of the callous, deliberate, and planned nature of the crime.
In a court filing, State Attorney Amira Fox said that Katie Baunach's murder was "done in a cold, deliberate, and intentional way without any pretense of moral or legal justification."
Ian Baunach, 43, is suspected of killing the 39-year-old nurse and mother of their two young children on September 29 or 30. Authorities claim Ian persuaded Katie to come to their former house in Fort Denaud to pick up her belongings, then murdered her and attempted to destroy evidence of the crime.
Ian has pled not guilty, and his attorney, Robert P. Harris, has expressed disappointment that the state wants to execute his client.
"Mr. Ian Baunach is a former US Marine, a combat hero who gave up his body and his peace of mind for his nation. It is disappointing that the country for which he fought is pursuing him with the ultimate penalty "Harris issued in a statement. "We believe Ian Baunach is innocent and will forcefully defend him in court."
Carolyn McKinney, Katie's mother, told USA TODAY Network-Florida that prosecutors had asked her what kind of sentence she wanted. Her beliefs motivated her to sentence herself to life in jail with no chance of release, she stated in a text message.
Before publishing, the State Attorney's Office did not reply to a request for comment.
Baunach is presently being detained in federal detention while awaiting trial on federal gun charges stemming from the alleged possession of unlicensed silencers. Authorities reportedly discovered the silencers at Ian's house after searching it after Katie's abduction.
"I can't say I want someone to die as a Christian. But, the State Attorney said that it is the only way to ensure that he receives at least life in prison "McKinney penned the piece. "They also said that this may be amended or discussed in the future."
In January, USA TODAY Network-Florida published an investigation into how multiple law enforcement agencies missed chances to protect Katie in the months before her death.
In November 2021, Ian allegedly grabbed Katie during a fight and tried to strangle her. She called the police. Fox's office charged Ian with a felony. But Katie forgave him after he told her he had found God – and prosecutors dropped the charges, despite the case’s lead prosecutor writing in case notes that she would have continued without victim testimony in “90 percent” of similar cases.
A guy who has been indicted for the murder of his ex-wife is facing the possibility of the death sentence from the state of Florida.
A grand jury has charged Ian Baunach on the charge of first-degree murder for the death of his ex-wife Katie Baunach, who was 39 years old.
Katie vanished a few days after Hurricane Ian passed through the area. The subsequent arrest of Ian Baunach took place four days after he had been reported missing.
The skeletal bones of Katie were discovered at his residence. Katie's vehicle was still at Ian's place when we checked on it.
The state has said that they want to pursue the death sentence in this case because of the callous, deliberate, and planned nature of the crime.
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