The killer who gave himself the moniker “the Monster of Mayport” surprised observers in court Wednesday when he pleaded guilty to first-degree murder in his death penalty case.
He also asked for and received permission to fire his public defender. He will now represent himself in court.
Wells earned his nickname for a 2003 mass killing in his Mayport trailer – five people, including his wife. While in prison, he was convicted of attempted murder, and then of first-degree murder. He is currently serving time for an accrued seven life sentences.
He now faces the death penalty for allegedly stabbing a fellow inmate to death in July. Law enforcement and prison sources who saw video of the incident say Wells and his alleged accomplice, Leo Boatman, brutally stabbed 32-year-old William Chapman to death inside Florida State Prison on July 5.
Wells was questioned at length by Circuit Judge Mark Moseley to determine his mental competence, but the judge eventually accepted his guilty plea.
A guilty plea in a death penalty case is not unheard of but is exceedingly rare. It means that a defendant forgoes a determination of guilt and moves directly into the penalty phase of a trial. It would be up to a jury to decide whether he should serve life in prison or receive the death penalty.
A status conference in the case is scheduled for March 11.