*Donald Davidson was sentenced to death Wednesday morning. A previous version of this article gave the incorrect sentence.
Saying the aggravating factors far outweigh any mitigating concerns, Circuit Judge Don Lester somberly issued a death sentence for confessed rapist and murderer Donald Davidson.
Davidson previously waived his right to a jury trial for the guilt and penalty phases and entered a guilty plea to the attempted rape and subsequent murder of 35-year-old Roseann Welsh, and the kidnapping and rape of her 10-year-old daughter.
Davidson, a registered sex offender at the time, had only been out of prison 72 days when the attack occurred.
Given the brutality of the crime, and the fact that Davidson was a registered sex offender at the time of the 2014 attack, Lester said "the appropriate sentence is death."
Davidson showed no reaction to the sentence.
Speaking with reporters after court, one of Davdison's prior victims said she felt some relief at the death sentence.
"It’s closure. It's justice," said Tiffany Lagasse, who was attacked by Davidson in 2010 when she was pregnant. Lagasse agreed to use her name in interviews and testified at trial.
"He won’t be allowed out to hurt anyone else’s families. He finally felt today what he did to all of us," she said. "There was no choice, and he couldn’t change his fate of what he got just like he did to every one of us."
Prosecutor Melissa Nelson said the crime "shocked the conscience" of the community of Clay County, and that death was the only acceptable consequence. Lee Hutton agreed said "It was personal to the people of Clay County," noting the crime instilled fear and horrified residents.
Mark Wright, Davidson's lead attorney, said it was "it is a sad day for everyone. No one won here. Mr. Davidson has never wavered in his position of taking responsibility and being held accountable. And quite frankly he is not surprised that this day happened the way it did."
He added that he hoped the victim's family had closure.
Roseann's aunt and uncle Kim and Michael Hajaistron also spoke saying that Roseann was like a daughter to them. "She was smart she was adventurous and everybody that met her loved her," said Michael Hajaistron. "We have a hole in our heart that will never heal. We might have an ugly scar that will form over a really long time but it's never going to go away."
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Davidson stunned the court in May when he chose to forgo a jury trial in the 2014 death penalty case.
The guilty plea allowed Davidson and his victims to avoid the guilt portion of a trial, but death penalty law still required a penalty phase, which included harrowing victim testimony from Roseann Welsh’s surviving son.
Davidson’s attorneys also presented mitigating evidence about Davidson’s troubled childhood.
As a matter of procedure, Davidson's case will immediately be reviewed by the Florida Supreme Court. His attorney said they will also appeal the sentence.