A jury on Tuesday said Marcelle Jerrill Waldon should die for the murders of former City Commissioner Edie Yates Henderson and her husband, David Henderson, in their Lake Morton home in November 2020.
The jury vote was 11-1. Under a new state law, a death sentence only requires an 8-4 jury vote.
Circuit Judge J. Kevin Abdoney will have the final say on Waldon’s sentence. He can go against the jury’s death recommendation and impose life in prison, but could not have gone against a jury’s recommendation for life.
There will be hearings about the case in the coming months and eventually Abdoney will make his decision. Waldon was to remain held on no bond.
Abdoney and the attorneys set a status hearings for Feb. 16 to determine if the defense wanted him to consider additional evidence during a “Spencer” hearing.
Outside the courtroom and after the jury’s penalty-phase verdict, defense attorney Daniel Hernandez said there will be appeals.
‘There’s a lot to appeal’
“There is a lot to appeal,” he said. “Obviously, the number one issue is the fact that the orginal, when this case started, the requirement for the death penalty was it had to be unanimous,” Hernandez said. “And with the 11-1 decision, it definitely becomes an issue. That’s probably the most, biggest issue, but there are others.”