MELROSE, Fla. — Mark Wilson returned to court for the second day of his trial Wednesday, awaiting a decision that could decide whether he lives or dies.
A jury will be asked to decide if Wilson is guilty of first-degree murder in the deaths of Tayten Baker, 14, and Robert Baker. If he is found guilty, the prosecution is seeking the death penalty.
If the jury decides Wilson is guilty, the jurors will then have to decide if Wilson should be put to death -- which according to Florida law, can only happen if the jury chooses death unanimously.
Wilson is married to the Baker boys' aunt, Cynthia "Cindy" Wilson. The couple was living in a shed on the Bakers' property with their daughter when the murders happened.
Wednesday's star witness was Wilson's mother, Chrisy Adkins, who police reports named as a confidential informant in the case after she agreed to plan a meeting with her son, where she would record their conversation.
It was the evidence gathered in that conversation that led to Wilson's arrest.
Adkins said that Wilson had already confessed to her, but she was able to conduct another conversation with him on the record where he again admitted to the crime.
"I told Mark that he needed to cooperate," she said on the stand Wednesday. "Take a lie detector test and clear his name. He got out of the bed, and he said mom, I can't do that, and I asked if he hurt those babies... and in a voice that wasn't his own, he said, 'yes, mom, I did it.'"
Wilson's mother said he often spoke in strange tones, mainly while he was using drugs. Witness testimony and police documents show that Wilson and his wife were known drug-users, part of why they were struggling and ended up living with the Bakers.
During the recorded call played for the courtroom, Adkins can be heard begging her son: "Why did you do it? I need to know why," repeatedly.
She continues to plead with him: "I need an answer, I need to know why, you're my child, you need to tell me. I don't get it. I want to help you and I can't. And it's the worst feeling for a parent. You're my child. Look at me."
Wilson says that he killed the boys to protect his family, but doesn't elaborate. His mother continues to ask, "Why those two boys?"
He says he did it because of Cindy and his daughter, Kaitlyn. "What is it about Cindy and Kaitlyn that made you?" she asks. "Were you thinking they were in danger? I don't f****** get this, this is not you... I need an answer, I need to know why."
In the recorded confession, Wilson tells his mother he killed the boys because he felt the boy's family was going to report him and his wife to the Department of Children and Families.
Wilson tells his mother that the plan was for him to kill the boys and Cindy to kill the boys' mother and four-year-old brother.
Records show Wilson offered several different reasons for what he did. In one video played for the court Wednesday, he claimed the boys sexually abused his daughter.
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.
Witness testimony will continue Thursday at 8:30 a.m. Jury deliberation is expected to begin Thursday night.