Allen Lee Davis (Tiny)

Allen Lee Davis was born on July 20, 1944, in Millinocket, Maine. Publicly available records provide limited information about his childhood and early family life. As an adult, he developed a criminal record involving robbery and other violent offences.

Davis was convicted in Florida in 1973 of robbery, attempted robbery and related firearm offences and received a 15-year prison sentence. He was released on parole before the 1982 murders, placing him under supervision when he entered the Weiler home. The Florida Supreme Court later cited his prior convictions and parole status as aggravating circumstances in upholding his death sentences.

On May 11, 1982, Davis entered the Jacksonville home of Nancy Weiler and her two daughters, Kristina and Katherine. Nancy, 37, was three months pregnant at the time. Davis was armed with a handgun and had a rope that was used to restrain one of the children.

Davis brutally attacked Nancy with the handgun, striking her repeatedly in the head and face. Kristina, aged 10, was restrained and shot twice, while five-year-old Katherine attempted to escape before being shot and subsequently beaten with the firearm. All three victims died inside the home.

Davis entered the family home armed and used physical violence to overpower the occupants. The attack involved robbery, restraint, shooting and extreme physical assault, with the three victims killed during the same incident.

The prosecution presented evidence that Davis had entered the residence as part of a planned burglary. A person who had dropped Davis off near the home later reported that he possessed a camera matching one reported missing from the Weiler residence after the murders. The Florida Supreme Court found that the evidence supported the conclusion that the killings were cold, calculated and premeditated.

The murders generated intense publicity throughout Jacksonville. Davis was arrested by police on May 13, 1982, only two days after the killings. A grand jury indicted him on three counts of first-degree murder later that month.

Evidence against Davis included property connected to the Weiler home, testimony concerning his movements and the weapon involved in the murders. During the investigation, Davis voluntarily accompanied police for questioning and reportedly suggested taking a polygraph examination, although the test itself was not admitted into evidence.

Davis's trial began in Jacksonville on January 31, 1983, with proceedings continuing through February 4. The prosecution presented evidence concerning the three killings, the burglary and Davis's previous criminal history.

A jury convicted Davis of three counts of first-degree murder and recommended death sentences for each victim. The trial court imposed three death sentences. The Florida Supreme Court affirmed both the convictions and sentences in 1984, finding competent and substantial evidence supporting the verdicts.

Davis subsequently pursued numerous post-conviction appeals and challenges to his death sentences. The Florida Supreme Court rejected his final requests for relief in June and July 1999, and Governor Jeb Bush signed his death warrant. Davis was executed by electrocution at Florida State Prison on July 8, 1999, at the age of 54.

The Davis case became particularly significant because of the circumstances surrounding his 1999 execution. He was the first prisoner executed in Florida's newly constructed electric chair, replacing the state's original "Old Sparky." Photographs taken after the execution showed blood on Davis's face and clothing, prompting immediate controversy over whether the electrocution had caused unnecessary pain.

The controversy led to legal challenges concerning the constitutionality of Florida's electric chair and contributed to a temporary stay in another prisoner's scheduled execution. In subsequent litigation, the Florida Supreme Court concluded that the chair had functioned as intended and that electrocution did not constitute cruel or unusual punishment under the circumstances presented.

Davis remains notable in Florida's history as the last person executed by electrocution in the state before Florida subsequently carried out executions by lethal injection. His three death sentences arose from the May 1982 murders of Nancy Weiler and her daughters, and his convictions remained intact through his final appeals.

Sources:

• Florida Supreme Court
• United States Supreme Court
• Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals
• Florida Department of Corrections
• CBS News
• Los Angeles Times
• Florida Times-Union
• Associated Press