FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla., Oct. 23 (UPI) -- A Florida jury deliberated less than two hours before recommending a death sentence for a man convicted of killing his landlord in 2010, prosecutors said.
Randy W. Tundidor, 45, was convicted in May of stabbing Joseph Morrissey to death, then setting his Plantation, Fla., home on fire while the victim's wife and son were in a nearby bedroom, The Miami Herald reported Tuesday.
Tundidor's son testified at the trial that his father broke into the Morrisseys' home and held the couple at gunpoint while he rummaged around the house looking for valuables.
The son said Tundidor forced them to drive to an ATM to withdraw cash before stabbing Morrissey, 46, an assistant professor and researcher at Nova Southeastern University.
Tundidor, who rented a town house from Morrissey, had received a letter requesting an overdue security deposit.
Defense attorney Richard Rosenbaum said he would file a motion Tuesday, seeking a new trial.
