SARASOTA – After two hours of jury deliberation Luke Fleming was found guilty of the 1999 murder of Deborah Dalzell.
“Finally after 20 years we have a guilty verdict in this horrific crime against our beautiful Deborah who we all love so very much,” said Peggy Thistle, Dalzell’s sister.
A 20 year cold case is finally put to rest and the family of 47-year-old Dalzell receives closure knowing her killer will be spending his life behind bars. A unanimous jury found Fleming guilty of 1st degree murder and rape in the 1999 murder case.
“This is a case where we had a brace independent woman who lived her life on her own terms and because of that she was made vulnerable and murdered essentially in her own bedroom,” said Assistant State Attorney Karen Fraivillig
Assistant State Attorneys Fraivillig and Art Jackman argued that DNA found in Dalzell’s home the night of the murder matched a hereditary sample submitted by Fleming.
“DNA was the silent witness and it finally spoke and it spoke loudly and clearly,” said Fraivillig.
Fleming’s attorney Anne Borghetti argued DNA testing cannot determine the source of genetic material found on an item or how long it has been on the item. However, the jury merely took two hours on the final day of the trial to reach a guilty verdict.
“For the past 20 years the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office never gave up on finding Deborah’s killer,” said Thistle. “Thousands of hours of investigation by countless employees finally lead to an arrest for this you have our eternal appreciation.”
Courtroom cameras showed Fleming having very little emotion when the verdict was read or when Dalzell’s family read their victim impact statements. But for Dalzell’s family they say justice has finally been served.
“This verdict will never bring Deborah back but provides some measure of justice,” said Thistle.
The judge sentenced Fleming to two life sentences without parole for both counts.
