Shocking details have surfaced about the death of a 67-year-old woman whose body was found in a Walmart parking lot in Florida.
The woman’s fiancé, who allegedly admitted to killing her and faked the discovery of her body in a Walmart parking lot, now faces the death penalty.
2
Michael Despres, 57, has been held in the Indian River County jail without bond since Oct. 5, 2021, when his fiancée Jeanine Bishop was found dead in Sebastian, about 90 miles from Orlando.
On May 31, a grand jury indicted Despres with first-degree murder with a weapon for the alleged murder of Bishop, TCPalm writes.
His alleged confession included his plan to kill his fiancée days earlier, strangle her in their shared home, sleep next to her corpse, and take her to the Walmart parking lot, court records show.
Prosecutors say Despres stated on recorded prison calls that “he will use his traumatic brain injury to his advantage”, and that “he can’t believe he did it”.
Bishop’s house was reportedly bequeathed to Despres in her will, and he “wants it.”
Despres is reportedly only eligible for life imprisonment or the death penalty on a guilty plea, the local news station said.
That’s what Sebastian Police Chief Acosta said in a public statement on the day of Despres’ arrest.
He said: “Mrs. Bishop’s fiancée was also on the scene at Walmart and gave cryptic stories about Ms. Bishop’s whereabouts before she was found in the parking lot, which began to arouse suspicion among investigators.”
“When interviewed by Sebastian detectives, he confessed to murdering Ms. Bishop in their shared home and later transporting her body to the parking lot of a Walmart where he faked the incident.”
When considering the death penalty, the state must provide appropriate grounds for the death penalty.
The prosecution noted two aggravations that they say Despres is eligible for the death penalty: a “horrible, horrific…cruel murder” committed on a particularly “cold…premeditated.”
Assistant State Attorney Brian Workman declined to discuss details of the case.
But he did confirm via TCPalm that “based on those aggravating circumstances, he (Despres) is eligible for the death penalty.”
2
