Prosecutors in Florida formally announced they intend to seek the death penalty for a 27-year-old man accused of sexually assaulting a child, killing two minors, and setting their home on fire to cover the crime.
State attorneys filed the notice against John Henry Walston Jr., who faces a litany of charges stemming from the disturbing November discovery on Flaxman Street. An Escambia County grand jury has indicted Walston on two counts of first-degree premeditated murder, sexual battery on a child under 12, arson, and animal cruelty.
The investigation began on Nov. 7, when Escambia County Fire Rescue crews rushed to a reported house fire. While firefighters managed to extinguish the blaze, the scene inside revealed a crime far darker than a simple structure fire…