The Florida Supreme Court upheld the death sentence of James Herard, who ordered the arbitrary execution of a restaurant worker on his way home from a bus stop in Lauderhill in 2008.
Herard, 34, was sentenced to death in 2015 for ordering the murder of 39-year-old Eric Jean-Pierre. The killing was part of a “body count contest” with other members of his Bacc Street Crips street gang. Prosecutors said fellow gang member Tharod Bell pulled the trigger and the gang members laughed at Jean-Pierre as they fled the scene.
Bell, 36, pleaded guilty and is currently serving a 50-year prison sentence. He has already served seven consecutive life sentences for other crimes.
Herard, Bell and three other men were charged with a series of brutal robberies at Dunkin’ Donuts locations in Delray Beach, Sunrise, Tamarac and Plantation ten years ago. The Tamarac robbery took place on Thanksgiving Day 2008, two weeks after Jean-Pierre’s murder.
During that incident, prosecutors said, Herard shot and killed 58-year-old customer Kiem Huynh. Herard was found guilty of that crime and sentenced to life in prison.
The Supreme Court rejected the defense’s arguments that the court did not grant Herard due process and should have allowed an expert witness to testify about false confessions.
Other men convicted of their involvement in the Dunkin’ Donuts robberies were sentenced to life in prison for those crimes.
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