Convicted Killer Stays Silent At Hearing

Justin Heyne Will Faces Death Penalty In 2006 Slayings

POSTED: 3:24 pm EDT August 28, 2009
UPDATED: 3:46 pm EDT August 28, 2009
BREVARD COUNTY, Fla. -- A convicted murder refused to say anything Friday at his last hearing before he's sentenced in a triple murder.

Ben Hamilton, Sarah Buckoski and their 5-year-old daughter were killed by Justin Heyne in 2006. They were room-mates.

A jury has recommended death for Heyne, and today was his last chance to say why he should not die. He remained quiet.

The surviving families have different ideas of what should happen now.

"Our children have been taken, our children are gone, there's no way to bring them back," Sarah Buckoski's father, Dave Buckoski, said. "My personal feelings is this man needs to die, and he needs to die now."

Ben Hamilton's mother disagrees.

"If we would say yes, we want him to have the death penalty, then we would be just as bad as J.C.," Juanita Perez said.

The judge will sentence Heyne to either life or death. No sentencing date has been set.