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Final hearing set for Monday in Donald Davidson death penalty case

Despite his rare guilty plea, Davidson is still entitled to a final hearing to present additional evidence.

The death penalty trial of accused rapist and murderer Donald Davidson reaches its penultimate stage Monday, with a final hearing expected before the judge issues sentence.

Davidson pleaded guilty to first-degree murder, kidnapping and capital sexual battery in a 2014 crime spree that claimed the life of 35-year-old Roseann Welsh in her Middleburg home and terrorized her 10-year-old daughter.

He was a registered sexual predator at the time.

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Davidson’s guilty plea is a rarity in death penalty cases, and eliminated the guilt phase of his trial. The penalty phase was held in July, but he is still entitled to a "Spencer Hearing," which offers a defendant one last chance to provide evidence before the judge renders a life or death sentence.   

Circuit Judge Don Lester is not expected to pronounce sentence at Monday’s hearing, which is expected to be brief.

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