By Tyler Treadway
Friday, April 24, 2009
FORT PIERCE — Two men face up to life in prison after being convicted Thursday night in connection with two home invasions and sexual assaults on Easter night 2007.
Stardale Owens, 30, of Lake Worth, and Terrince Ervin, 27, of Deerfield Beach, were found guilty of robbery with a deadly weapon, burglary with an assault or battery and sexual battery by more than one perpetrator. Each will get at least 10 years in prison when they’re sentenced May 8 because jurors found the two men used firearms in the crimes.
The jury deliberated about 2½ hours before reaching the verdict shortly after 8:30 p.m. Thursday.
During the three-day trial, victims testified three armed men wearing masks burst into a home on Tahoe Court in Port St. Lucie late on the night of April 9, 2007, beat and threatened to kill the four young people there and raped the one woman among them several times.
When the robbers didn’t find the money and drugs they were looking for, victims said, two of the assailants took one of the young men to a house on nearby Bella Road, where two occupants were bound and gagged.
Timmy Owens, 32, Stardale Owens’ brother, was convicted in March of armed robbery and burglary, but not the sexual assault charge, in connection with the incident and is scheduled to be sentenced Tuesday.
Assistant State Attorney Linda Baldree said DNA evidence was the key to the conviction. Condoms with DNA from Stardale Owens and Ervin were fished from the septic system at the Tahoe Court house, and a beer bottle with Ervin’s DNA was found inside the home.
Victims testified they could hear one of their assailants open a beer bottle and drink it.
Defense attorney Curt Levine of Orlando, who represents Owens, said he plans to appeal the verdict, noting Circuit Judge Robert Belanger refused to allow jurors to hear evidence that a prostitution ring may have been operated out of one or both houses.
“That would go a long way in explaining how my client’s DNA was found on a condom there,” Levine said.
Jennifer Hixson, who represents Ervin, could not be reached.
Baldree said she was “very happy with the verdict. There are some very violent, very angry men; and we’re glad to get them off the street.”
The truth will come out, even if it is 10 years from now. This story is out of a John Grisham novel...How does DNA survive in a condom that was in a sewer for 6 months? Also, what rapist takes the time to put om a condom????? Only half the story is being told....if this is th american justice system, I am moving to Turkey...
ReplyDeleteim moving to turkey with you. i am stardale owens fiance and mother of his 5 year old daughter. the truth will defenitly come out HOW HE WAS SET UP BY THE PORT SAINT LUCIE POLICE. they swabbed stardale for his DNA multiple times prior to his arrest, he was in jail for 4 months with NO BOND FOR FISHING W?O A LISCENE. he was released in palm beach county florida and placed on 2 years federdal probation. while he was on probation he was swabbed by psl police and next thing you no HE IS IN JAIL FOR RAPE! we are appealing this. and we will find out if the DNA in the condom was seaman or saliva.....due to the fact my fiance was with me and my whole family on easter never left the house past 12am. i find it hard to beleive. the victims said the rapist or whatever had island accents and we 6 feet tall. sorry but my fiance is thai/black and speaks perfect english and is only 5'7! the forgot to mention in the newspaper how the girl who was raped was in jail week prior for prostatution and the house that was robbed was a known drug house. which the tenant of the house was in jail days prior for possesion of oxycodon!
ReplyDeleteo ya....what a coincidence stardales owens best friend was in the process of builing linda baldree's pool after stardale sentence (he did not know). she must of got a nice bonus for taking my daughters dad away from her. but she cursed him out and told him to get away from her house. the next day the guy was fired. can we all say RACIST PIECE OF SHIT!
ReplyDeleteit doesn't matter if she was a prostitute or not, if she was forced on this occasion, then it was rape. too bad that the victims didn't have guns and shoot first, then ask questions. the lesson, if you kill the home invaders on the spot, then there won't be any question of who it was.
ReplyDeleteStardale and Timmy Owens are EVIL PEOPLE... MAY YOU ROT IN HELL!
ReplyDeletevideo survaliance is destroyed after 30 days according to seminole hardrock casino. ask where all the victims are now? in jail or probation for DRUGS. the wonderful young lady raped was in jail at the time of the trial for PROSTITUTION!!!! she was or still is a whore. everyone is entiled to their own opinion. stardale and timmy will be home soon....ahhhh i cant wait
ReplyDelete