JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The man who calls himself the Monster of Mayport was in Bradford County court Friday morning, for the first time since he filed paperwork to represent himself and plead guilty to killing a fellow prison inmate.
Those filings became moot, however, as Wells asked Circuit Judge Mark Moseley to appoint Regional Counsel John Broling as his lawyer. Broling immediately withdrew all the paperwork Wells had filed. He also waived Wells’ right to a speedy trial and told the judge he “would be litigating [the case] fully.”
Wells entered court looking gaunt and calm, but his very presence created tension for law enforcement. There were no fewer than 19 uniformed law enforcement officers in the small courtroom, along with a few officers in plain clothes – a show of force that State Attorney Bill Cervone says is not typical.
“Not for an ordinary defendant, no," Cervone told First Coast News. But it’s not unusual for a case of this sort involving defendants with this background.”
Cervone says the large police presence was demanded by Wells’ violent history.
“Any time you have inmates such as Wells and Boatman, there are legitimate security concerns by both the prison staff and the local jail staff that have to transport them," said Cervone. "That’s why there was a significant law enforcement presence”
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.
But he faces the death penalty for allegedly stabbing a fellow inmate to death in July. Law enforcement and prison sources who’ve seen 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.
Like Wells, Boatman is a repeat offender. He was convicted of murdering two Santa Fe College students camping in the Ocala National Forest in 2006. He was also convicted of beating a cellmate to death in 2011.
Cervone said the waiver of a speedy trial could push the trial back at least a year but doesn’t fundamentally change the state’s plan. “I’m firmly convinced that under the state of Florida law this case is one that qualifies for imposition of the death penalty," he said.
Wells is due back in court Jan. 29.