USA - Florida. Judge Howard Maltz sentenced Norman Blake McKenzie to death

Circuit Judge Howard Maltz sentenced Norman Blake McKenzie to death for the 2nd time Friday afternoon at the St. Johns County courthouse. McKenzie, now 55, White, was sentenced to death for the October 4, 2006 murders of 49-year-old Randy Peacock and 64-year-old Charles Johnston. According to court reports, McKenzie acted as his own lawyer during the double murder trial, and admitted his guilt during his closing argument. He was sentenced to death in St. Johns County on August 31, 2007 after a jury voted 10-2 on both counts. McKenzie’s death sentence was thrown out on June 22, 2017 (see) by the same Judge Maltz because of a Florida Supreme Court ruling that required a unanimous jury vote to establish a death sentence. In August, a jury unanimously said McKenzie met the criteria of the death penalty. Circuit Judge Howard Maltz read out the death sentence for both counts of 1st-degree murder.