David Sparre

In 2010, a then 19-year-old David Sparre stabbed 21-year-old Tiara Pool 89 times, killing the Jacksonville, Florida mother after meeting her through craigslist. In 2011, he was convicted of her murder and in 2012 was sentenced to death. In 2015, his death sentence was upheld. Now, Sparre is looking for a new trial on the grounds of ineffective counsel and diminished mental capacity.

What shouldn’t be forgotten about this story is the letter Sparre wrote to his ex-girlfriend after his conviction where he stated he enjoyed killing Tiara, admitted planning the murder for weeks and thought he was smarter than police. Egomania and psychopathy aside, does that sound like someone with a diminished mental capacity to you?

Meanwhile, Tiara’s family, who by all accounts are loving and close-knit, can’t appeal the death sentence David Sparre inflicted unfairly on Tiara just because she answered his craigslist ad.