Mesac Damas was sentenced to death by the State of Florida for the murders of his wife and five children. According to court documents Mesac Damas would murder Guerline Dieu Damas, and their five young children — Michzach, 9, Marven, 6, Maven, 5, Megan, 3, and Morgan, 1 by slitting their throats. Mesac Damas was arrested, convicted and sentenced to death
Mesac Damas 2021 Information
| DC Number: | Y63399 |
|---|---|
| Name: | DAMAS, MESAC |
| Race: | BLACK |
| Sex: | MALE |
| Birth Date: | 07/02/1976 |
| Initial Receipt Date: | 10/30/2017 |
| Current Facility: | UNION C.I. |
| Current Custody: | MAXIMUM |
| Current Release Date: | DEATH SENTENCE |
Mesac Damas More News
Six death sentences for six murders.
That’s the official penalty for Mesac Damas, the Collier County man who confessed to killing his wife and five children in 2009.
Damas, 42, was sentenced in October 2017. Florida’s Supreme Court affirmed the penalties last week and announced the opinion Wednesday.
The sentencing brought the case to a close after it had dragged on for more than eight years amid seemingly endless delays.
Damas killed his wife, Guerline Dieu Damas, and their five young children — Michzach, 9, Marven, 6, Maven, 5, Megan, 3, and Morgan, 1 — slicing their throats with a filet knife in their North Naples town house.
He bent the blade in the attacks. At the time, Collier Sheriff Kevin Rambosk called the killings “the most horrific and violent event” in county history.
Damas fled to Port au Prince, Haiti, where he was born and raised. But authorities soon located him.
Florida law requires a direct appeal to the Florida Supreme Court following any death sentence, according to a state attorney’s office news release. On his appeal, Damas claimed numerous errors that the Supreme Court ultimately found to be without merit, the release says.
In his appeal, Damas claims the court erred in declining his request for self-representation. He alleges the court improperly weighed factors that he considered repetitive, such as his child’s age and his parental relationship to the young child.
His request for self-representation was denied because he refused to cooperate or even engage during court proceedings, according to the court’s opinion.
Damas was “uncooperative” and refused to acknowledge whether he had a lawyer, the opinion document states. He interrupted and argued with the court, and refused to answer questions with “yes” or “no” responses.
Instead, he insisted he just wanted to plead guilty, the document states.
He also questioned the constitutionality of the death penalty, court records show. He claimed it violates the eighth amendment to the United States Constitution “because it is inherently cruel and unusual,” the document states.
Because there has not been a statutory change in Florida law, which allows capital punishment, Damas’ challenge failed, the opinion document states.
In the 38-page opinion, all seven members of the court affirmed the sentences
The opinion acknowledges his confession to a Naples Daily News reporter who asked him questions in Haiti as authorities detained him.
Throughout his jail time and court appearances, Damas maintained a focus on God and religion and spirits and demons — a tense mix of Evangelical Christianity and traditional Haitian Voodoo.
He was prone to courtroom outbursts, begging to be put to death and imploring a courtroom gallery to come to Jesus. He maintained that he was “possessed by demons” at the time of the crime.
Damas waived his right to a jury trial and pleaded guilty to all charges. The state attorney’s office and the Dieu family aggressively pursued the death penalty.
He also had waived his right to have his attorneys present mitigating evidence in his favor. He had previously asked to represent himself, a request that was denied.
At his 2017 sentencing hearing, a judge asked him if he still wanted to waive his right to mitigating evidence.
He refused to speak. Instead, he wrote her a note.
“Go ahead, continue your work, may my blood be upon your shoulders.”
He signed the note “COG” — Child of God.