Donovan L. Faison, 23, was sentenced to death by a Florida judge on Friday after a jury’s 11-1 recommendation, convicted of first-degree murder and killing an unborn child in the 2022 execution-style slaying of his 18-year-old pregnant girlfriend, Kaylin Fiengo, in Sanford.
Prosecutors highlighted Faison’s anger over Fiengo’s refusal to abort, evidenced by texts like “Abortion!!!” and “On my brothers grave, I’m gonna crop her out,” showing premeditation after she shared positive pregnancy tests. He lured her to Coastline Park on November 11, 2022, where police found her shot dead in her car during a patrol, confirming she had passed her first trimester.
Fiengo, described by family as vivacious and devoted to her 1-year-old son, left behind profound grief; her mother spoke of unending pain in her victim impact statement. The case met aggravating factors like killing a child under 12 during a felony, under Florida’s lowered jury threshold of 8-4 for death recommendations post-Parkland.
Faison, living with another woman who suspected infidelity, faced an exhaustive 10-month investigation leading to his 2023 arrest. Sanford Police Chief Cecil Smith called the murder senseless, emphasizing justice for Fiengo and her surviving child.
This tragedy underscores tensions in unplanned pregnancies, intimate partner violence, and Florida’s death penalty application in cases involving unborn victims.
