JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — *Warning: This story contains graphic content*
Mark Wilson has been found guilty in the brutal killing of two Melrose boys.
On Thursday, a jury was tasked with deciding if Wilson was guilty of first-degree murder in the deaths of Tayten Baker, 14, and Robert Baker, 12.
After about two hours of deliberation, the jury came back with a verdict.
Wilson was found guilty of two first-degree murder charges. He was also found guilty of two counts of burglary in relation to the case.
Total counts against Wilson:
- COUNT 1 - Guilty as charged 1st degree murder contrary to Florida statutes
- COUNT 2 - Guilty as charged 1st degree murder contrary to Florida statutes
- COUNT 3 - Guilty as charged burglary with assault or battery
- COUNT 4 - Guilty as charged burglary while armed
“The defendant murdered our child victims with a ferocity that shocked the conscience of us all,” State Attorney R.J. Larizza said of this case. “There was no mercy, only a violent and relentless rage that left two young brothers dead within their own home. He should receive the same degree of mercy he showed Tayten and Robert.”
Judge McGillin will pronounce sentence at the conclusion of the sentencing phase, which begins the week of Oct. 24, 2022.
What happened to Tayten and Robert?
Putnam County Sheriff 'Gator' Deloach said the scene was one of the worst he had ever seen.
Evidence presented by crime scene analysts Tuesday showed why. The boys were beaten with a hammer, then had their throats slashed with a filet knife.
Robert, the younger brother, was found with his throat slit "end to end" nearly decapitated.
Tayten was found with multiple slash wounds, Assistant State Attorney Jennifer Dunton testified, as if the killer had attempted to slit his throat multiple times or tried to saw through his neck.
When his mother found him, he was at the end of an 18-foot trail of blood.
The boys were killed while their mother was sleeping. A homicide detective testified in court Wednesday said that police found that when they stood in the living room where the boys were killed and their parents' bedroom, they could not hear each other, due to insulation.
Their mother, Sarah Baker, testified that she found them in the morning and didn't realize how much blood there was at first. They were both covered with blankets, and she only realized the extent of their injuries when she moved the blanket. She fled to her father's house, and it was his wife who called 911.
Baker said that the night before the boys were killed, she saw Wilson outside sharpening a knife, which would later be matched to the murder weapon.