USA - Florida. Gabby Tennis takes plea, escapes death penalty

Gabby Tennis takes plea, escapes death penalty. In Fort Lauderdale, hours before a jury would have starting debating whether Gabby Tennis should live or die, a deal was struck today that will send him to prison for the rest of his life. After a retrial, Tennis, 29, was convicted last week of the June 2003 stomping death of Albert Vessella, 91. Tennis went to Vessella's home to steal money for a traditional Gypsy dowry so he could marry his 16-year-old girlfriend, Sophia Adams. She testified against him. He was convicted in 2005 and sent to Death Row, but the Florida Supreme Court overturned the conviction because Tennis was not given a hearing when he asked to represent himself. In the retrial, Tennis represented himself until midway through the state's case, when he decided to let standby attorneys handle his defense. (see also Nov. 16, 2005, Apr. 6, 2006 and Dec. 11, 2008).