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00:00The following program contains descriptions of violence, mutilation, which some viewers may find distressing.
00:07On Mother's Day, May the 11th, 2008, in the quiet community of Lutz in Hillsborough County, Florida,
00:15a rage-filled man unleashed a nightmare on Lisa Freeburg and her two children.
00:22He brutally attacked every single thing in that house.
00:25He killed three innocent people just because it's what he wanted to do.
00:31The killer had left a trail of bodies for the police to find.
00:36The mutilation that was done to these victims, the extent of the blood around the house, this was a pretty
00:45horrific scene.
00:47Detectives found the killer hiding in a cupboard.
00:5035-year-old Edward Covington was Lisa Freeburg's partner.
00:55He's not a human. He's a monster.
00:58How could he do that?
01:00I don't know.
01:02The very next thing you remember is all this chaos going on.
01:07What's the chaos?
01:08Killing.
01:09Edward Covington's Mother's Day massacre had revealed him to be one of the world's most evil killers.
01:39On May the 29th, 2015, seven years after the murders of Lisa Freeburg,
01:46and her two children, seven-year-old Zachary and two-year-old Savannah,
01:5142-year-old Edward Covington was sentenced to death in the circuit court of Hillsborough County, Florida.
01:59It was a triple murder that sent shockwaves through the small community.
02:08Edward Covington committed one of the most horrific, brutal crimes that Lutz community had ever seen.
02:17When you think about when it happened and who it happened to and how it happened, it's incredibly horrific.
02:28The local press labeled Covington a monster.
02:31The case of Edward Covington was called by the press a Mother's Day massacre, and that's genuinely what it was.
02:41He killed because he could and because he wanted to.
02:44It was a remorseless, horrid, obscene set of killings.
02:54This killer story begins in Florida on June the 13th, 1972.
03:01Edward Covington's life got off to a particularly bad start due to a mistake at the hospital where he was
03:09born.
03:09We know comparatively little about his upbringing as a child, but what we do know is that as an infant,
03:16a newborn,
03:17he was given a massive overdose of antibiotics in hospital, which caused him 30% hearing loss.
03:25And I think that had an impact on the rest of his life.
03:33He wanted to become a Navy pilot, but the hearing loss meant that he couldn't.
03:38And so there was always that inner rage, that sense of resentment that he always had, and that stayed with
03:44him.
03:46He thought very highly of himself.
03:49He didn't respect anyone else.
03:52He didn't give people consideration.
03:55It was all about him.
03:57As a teenager, Covington's mental health started to decline.
04:02At the age of 15, Covington was hospitalized with the first of a number of episodes.
04:09He was diagnosed with a chemical imbalance in his brain, and he was later diagnosed as being bipolar.
04:20He was on medication, but on top of that, he started to use illicit drugs.
04:31As Edward Covington reached adulthood, in a neighbouring county, Lisa Freeberg was growing up with her parents and younger brother,
04:40Sean.
04:46Lisa and I got along really well.
04:49We were about a year and a half, almost two years difference in age.
04:56We were always together.
05:02I have cerebral palsy, and because Lisa being the older sister in school, she didn't let no one bully me.
05:13She was just the best, bigger sister ever.
05:19If my mum needed her, she would come to her in a moment's notice.
05:25She was always reliable, always thinking of others.
05:32She gave her shirt off her back to just anyone that needed help.
05:39On January 13, 2001, when Lisa was 19 years old, she gave birth to her first child.
05:50Zachary was a big surprise to all of us, because Lisa was pretty young at the time.
05:55But, you know, accidents happened, and, gratefully, it was a good accident.
06:02And she had an amazing son that was really caring, just like her.
06:10Zachary's father didn't stick around, and Lisa was left to bring up her son alone.
06:18Lisa was very concerned on how to be a mother at first, but working with our mom, she turned out
06:30to be a great mother herself.
06:32Our mom taught Lisa how to do basically everything, and she took that and ran.
06:48In 2004, Lisa met a man and fell in love, and on May the 20th, 2005, when Zachary was four
06:57years old, she gave birth to a daughter, Heather Savannah.
07:03Heather was her legal name, because that's what her dad wanted.
07:06However, we always loved the name Savannah, and that's the name Lisa wanted, so that's what we called Savannah.
07:20When Zachary found out that he was going to have a little sister, he was super excited that he was
07:27going to be the big brother.
07:30They loved each other. You could tell that they loved each other.
07:34Sean has fond memories of his time with the family.
07:39I was the cool uncle, and I always, you know, played with them and, you know, gave them horseback rides
07:47or, you know, played video games with Zachary.
07:50There was a lot of laughs, a lot of love.
07:53Just every day was special.
08:00Lisa and her family lived in the small community of Lutz in North Hillsborough County, Florida.
08:09It was a very working class neighborhood where people knew each other,
08:15and it wouldn't be a stretch to say people struggle in that area to make ends meet and to get
08:22by.
08:26She worked a full-time job, did a lot of overtime hours just to make sure she could give both
08:34children the life that they needed and she wanted to give them.
08:48Meanwhile, on July 19th, 2004, 32-year-old Edward Covington had got married,
08:56but his drinking and drug-taking had spiraled out of control.
09:01He had a history with crack cocaine and alcohol.
09:06When he was sober, he could be quite personable and very intelligent,
09:11but it seems every time he did mix those two, it would bring out a violent tendency in him.
09:21And it was Covington's wife who bore the brunt of his violence.
09:27He was physically abusive to her, he broke her wrist, he strangled her, he broke teeth out.
09:39At the time, Covington was working as a prison officer for the Florida Department of Corrections,
09:46and he used this to his advantage whenever his wife called the police to report his violence.
09:55Any time there was any kind of contact with law enforcement, he was using that to sway their opinion,
10:02hoping that he would be more believable than, say, somebody else.
10:07And he pulled that trick multiple times to get out of trouble.
10:13The entire thing is about him getting what he wants and manipulating everyone in his life.
10:23Covington's wife had put up with enough.
10:27In 2007, she filed for divorce.
10:31The marriage had been a terrible failure.
10:33In fact, when she left him, he took his revenge on her
10:39and decapitated three of her cats.
10:46Now, that's not the action of a man who's entirely in control of himself.
10:51It's a violent, vengeful, horrible thing to do.
10:59That suggests to me that he escalates, and he escalates quickly when he is challenged.
11:07He's clearly got problems with relationships, he's clearly got problems with women,
11:12and he's clearly somebody who's quite happy to go to killing when he's challenged.
11:23When his marriage ended, Covington moved into a trailer owned by his parents,
11:2920 miles away from where Lisa Freeberg and her family lived in Lutz.
11:34In the same year, Lisa's relationship with her daughter Savannah's father came to an end,
11:41and Lisa decided to try online dating.
11:49I know she was a single mom.
11:51She was raising her two kids.
11:52Relationship-wise, I know she was looking for somebody.
11:56The dating site threw up a potential match for Lisa, 35-year-old Edward Covington.
12:04I did hear that she was meeting this new guy, Edward,
12:08but I trusted her judgment.
12:11She was smart.
12:12She knew that her kids meant the most to her, and, you know,
12:17that's what she was looking for, was a father figure for Zachary,
12:23a father figure for Savannah.
12:28He seemed like a great guy at first.
12:36But things were about to change in the spring of 2008.
12:42Covington and Lisa took their relationship to the next level.
12:46Because of his behavior, his parents threw him out of the trailer that they owned.
12:52But at that point, Lisa said, well, you could come and live with us in Lutz.
12:57They'd only known each other about six months.
13:00And I don't suspect she had any inkling of his very checkered mental history
13:06and his violent first marriage.
13:09She meets this individual and she trusts him with her children.
13:13And he just used that as an opportunity to take advantage of them.
13:18So he was taking care of the children while she was making the money.
13:25Lisa's family soon became concerned about Covington's behavior.
13:30Once he moved in, we did start noticing more of a temper range.
13:37We noticed that he seemed like to snap quickly towards her.
13:42There was a cloud of uncertainty, almost like the kids didn't want to be there.
13:51Lisa's family was starting to grow concerned for Lisa and the children.
13:56But they had no idea how much danger they were in until it was too late.
14:10By May 2008, Edward Covington had moved in with his girlfriend Lisa
14:16and her two children, seven-year-old Zachary and two-year-old Savannah.
14:21Lisa's family had started to notice a change in the children's behavior
14:25when Covington was around.
14:30I was told by my mom that when Zachary was getting in the truck with Lisa
14:36and if Covington was there, Zachary had a scared look on his face.
14:43When Lisa's family started noticing mysterious bruises on the children,
14:48they started to have concerns that Covington was harming them.
14:53They took photos of the injuries that they'd seen.
14:57It just added ammo for our case against him that we were trying to build
15:02to show Lisa, get away from this guy.
15:05We have pictures, we have the proof.
15:08But Lisa's desperate family didn't get time to stage the intervention
15:13they felt was needed.
15:15Just two days after they took those photos was Mother's Day, May 11, 2008.
15:21We were surprised when Lisa didn't show up to see her own mother on Mother's Day
15:30and that's when we figured out something was wrong.
15:38The next morning, Lisa's family were notified that Lisa hadn't turned up
15:43at the childminders or at work.
15:46Lisa's mom, Barbara, decided to go over to her daughter's home.
15:51She'd no idea she was about to encounter a scene of unimaginable horror.
16:01When the mother arrived at the trailer to check on her daughter,
16:08she managed to get in the front door enough to then see one grandchild
16:14obviously murdered there on the floor in front of her.
16:21At that point, she backed out of the trailer and called her husband
16:26and called the police.
16:30Barbara had seen her seven-year-old grandson's body lying by the front door.
16:35Zachary had been stabbed to death.
16:46It's almost impossible to imagine the scene that confronted her.
16:49It was of such butchery, such carnage
16:53that no one could really describe it without being horrified.
16:58I can't imagine walking and seeing my grandchild like that.
17:09Police and emergency services raced to the scene.
17:13They included Detective Troy Morgan.
17:20We showed up there at the location
17:23and discovered that there had been
17:29three people murdered inside.
17:35When I looked in the front door, the entire house was just trashed.
17:40Lisa's son was laying just inside the door.
17:45The one thing that stuck out the most was the area where his penis
17:50and his scrotum would be was missing.
17:54And it was just, you could see that it had been done post-mortem
17:59because there was no blood, there was no anything.
18:07Two-year-old Savannah was lying just a few feet away from her brother.
18:12She had been decapitated.
18:15What could a two-year-old child have possibly done
18:20to incur that kind of wrath?
18:24I couldn't see where Lisa was actually at
18:26until I went around on the backside
18:30and then I could see her laying there in the hallway.
18:38Lisa's body was covered in multiple injuries
18:42and her throat had been cut.
18:53It was probably one of the worst scenes I've ever been a part of.
18:58As they searched the house,
18:59the police also discovered that the family dog had been killed.
19:05It was a lot to take in
19:06because there was just so much chaos.
19:10Seeing the level of dismemberment,
19:12it's not normal.
19:16There was no sign of the attacker.
19:19Police presumed the person responsible
19:22must have fled the scene.
19:23But then someone heard a noise coming from the closet.
19:28Patrol deputies were clearing the house
19:30and then one of them heard something
19:33and they located him inside the bedroom closet.
19:38Crouched down and covered in blood
19:40was Lisa's boyfriend, Edward Covington.
19:46He was hiding,
19:47but they were able to see part of an actual body there
19:51and they called him out
19:53and had him show his hands and come out.
19:55As he was escorted out of the house
19:57and put into the back of the police cruiser,
20:00he says to the officers,
20:01I can't believe what I've done.
20:09It was left to Lisa's mum, Barbara,
20:12to break the news to Sean.
20:18I was getting ready to go to work
20:20and I was actually pulling out of my aunt's driveway
20:25when my mom called me and told me
20:28to not go to work, to come home.
20:32Once I got home
20:33and I saw the police cars in front of the house,
20:37my mom broke the news to me right in the driveway
20:40that she found Lisa and the kids
20:48and they were no longer with us.
20:54Within hours,
20:56the local press had got wind
20:58of the tragic story unfolding in Lutz.
21:02Monday morning,
21:03came in,
21:04just expecting to do the normal reporting I do of the week
21:09and instead got a phone call
21:10that I'd be helping cover breaking news
21:13and cops beat that day.
21:15I went out there
21:16not having any idea what to expect
21:18and then it turned out to be
21:20one of the most horrific crimes
21:22that that community had seen.
21:24There were dozens of sheriff investigator vehicles.
21:29There was an incredible amount
21:31of emergency personnel, investigators out there.
21:34They had us backed up a block away
21:36just to keep prying eyes
21:39from the extensive crime scene.
21:44Details of the crime
21:46were filtering through to the press.
21:50Hearing about the nature of that crime
21:52really seemed that whoever did this
21:56had no humanity left.
22:03The violence against Lisa
22:06and the incredible violence
22:08against the children as well
22:10is absolutely breathtaking.
22:17I don't think there are words
22:19to describe how awful that scene must have been.
22:23All along the street,
22:25investigators would walk in and come back out
22:28and it was shocking to see
22:31how it impacted them as well.
22:34There were officers who were holding each other
22:36and others that had all the colour out of their face
22:38from going in and coming out.
22:43Detective Dale Bunton remembers arriving at Lisa's property.
22:49At that point, multiple detectives had responded.
22:52The scene had been taped off.
22:55When they were describing to the detectives
22:57outside of the scene how bad inside was,
23:01it was a very graphic description
23:03about the mutilation that was done to these victims
23:08and the extent of the blood around the house.
23:13This was a pretty horrific scene.
23:19Reporters started speaking to the neighbours
23:22to try and glean some information
23:24about the family who lived there.
23:27They kept everyone back quite a way,
23:31but the neighbours had come out and filled the street.
23:35That street's a very quiet street.
23:38That's what made it such a shocking ordeal
23:41for some of them,
23:42that they had seen the victims just a day earlier
23:45and that's kind of how Lutz was.
23:48Neighbours knew each other.
23:50The press were also being given information by the police.
23:57Throughout the day,
23:58we had multiple updates from the sheriff's spokeswoman.
24:01And in between the updates,
24:04obviously there's chatter,
24:06there's information that trickles out
24:09until it's confirmed,
24:11it's still not official.
24:14But one of the pieces of information
24:17that had trickled out before
24:18was there was someone found in the closet.
24:21The neighbours knew that Lisa had a boyfriend.
24:24No one thought that that's who had done it.
24:30What the press and the neighbours didn't know
24:33at that point
24:34was that police already had their suspect in custody.
24:38And what Edward Covington would tell detectives
24:41in his interview...
24:42It was a time-bomb way to explore it.
24:44...would shock them to the core.
24:58On May 12th, 2008,
25:02police had been called to the scene
25:03of a horrific triple murder
25:05in Hillsborough County, Florida.
25:0826-year-old Lisa Freeberg
25:10and her children,
25:127-year-old Zachary
25:13and 2-year-old Savannah
25:14had been found butchered inside their home.
25:18Lisa's boyfriend, Edward Covington,
25:20had been discovered concealed in the closet.
25:28Hiding in the cupboard
25:29is very strange behaviour.
25:32There could be an element
25:34in that he had nowhere to go.
25:36Where was he going to go?
25:38He could not escape
25:39that he was responsible
25:41for what had gone on in that house.
25:43The forensics would have been
25:44absolutely everywhere.
25:47On May 14th, 2008,
25:51after he'd been assessed by doctors
25:52in a secure hospital,
25:54Edward Covington
25:55was interviewed by detectives.
25:57Before we talk to you about anything,
26:00we have to read your Miranda rights.
26:03Covington's amazingly calm
26:05and collected.
26:06He's not weeping and wailing
26:08and he confesses
26:10to the killings.
26:13It was as if
26:14I'm just sitting,
26:16talking to,
26:16you know,
26:18someone about
26:18what we had for
26:19dinner last night.
26:21I think he was wanting
26:22to get it off of his chest.
26:25Covington gave detectives
26:26his side of the story.
26:28He'd been drinking
26:29and using crack cocaine
26:31the night before Mother's Day.
26:34He wants to take her car
26:36to go get more drugs
26:37and then he gets upset
26:38because she won't allow him to.
26:42He knew that
26:43by combining alcohol
26:46and the cocaine he was using,
26:48it was going to cause
26:49a bad reaction.
26:50He still did it anyway.
26:54He wanted what he wanted
26:56and he didn't care
26:57what was going to be in his way.
26:59To lead to this type of violence
27:02on this family
27:03and to take three people
27:05out of the lives
27:06of all their loved ones
27:07is horrible.
27:09At approximately 10
27:11in the morning
27:12and already simmering
27:14with rage,
27:15Covington found
27:16two-year-old Savannah
27:17out of bed
27:18and lying on the couch.
27:20I asked her
27:21what she was doing up
27:22and she just started to cry
27:24and that's it.
27:26That is the last
27:29recollection
27:30of being in control
27:32I know of.
27:33So then the very next thing
27:35you remember
27:35is all this chaos going on.
27:38What's the chaos?
27:39Killing.
27:43Two-year-old Savannah
27:44was the first
27:45to experience
27:46Covington's wrath.
27:48He admitted
27:49everything he did
27:50telling me
27:51how brave she was
27:52because I asked
27:53was she scared?
27:54Was she screaming?
27:55Was she crying?
27:56And he's like,
27:57oh no,
27:58she was so brave
27:59and he seemed
27:59so proud of that.
28:04Savannah,
28:05you said,
28:06the first thing you did
28:07is you sliced her jugular.
28:08Yes, sir.
28:11He was just as a matter of fact
28:12about everything he did.
28:14But he did indeed
28:18almost cut
28:19that little girl in half.
28:25Lisa Freeberg
28:26had been awoken
28:27by the sound
28:28of the attack
28:29on her daughter.
28:32Lisa came out
28:33and he then
28:35turned his
28:36violence on her.
28:40She had
28:41multiple stab wounds,
28:43blows to her head.
28:48I could tell
28:49she had stopped breathing.
28:51I could feel
28:52her body
28:52go limp.
28:54After killing
28:55Lisa,
28:56Covington
28:56had then
28:57turned his
28:58murderous rage
28:59onto a sleeping
29:00seven-year-old
29:01Zachary.
29:04What about
29:05Zachary?
29:06Where was he at?
29:07Did he ever come out?
29:08He was in
29:09his top bunk.
29:10I think
29:11I stabbed him
29:11three times.
29:17He said
29:18that there
29:19was really
29:19no movement,
29:20fight,
29:21nothing.
29:22Neither one
29:22of the kids
29:23put up a fight.
29:27You're this close
29:28to this person
29:28when you're
29:29stabbing them
29:29or you're
29:30cutting their throat
29:31or you're
29:32doing all
29:33those other things.
29:34That's personal.
29:36That's a different level.
29:47Covington
29:48was quite
29:49open
29:50that he
29:50was responsible
29:51for the killings
29:52but what he
29:53never did
29:54was offer
29:55any kind
29:55of explanation
29:56about why
29:57he did it.
29:59Troy tried
30:00to determine
30:01a motive
30:02for the murders.
30:03There was a lot
30:04of details
30:05that we had
30:05to continually
30:06ask.
30:07because he
30:08cut the boy's
30:08penis off
30:09so my thought
30:10is what
30:11is the purpose
30:11behind this
30:12is this sexually
30:13driven
30:13and he
30:14literally
30:15was like
30:15oh gosh
30:16no.
30:18There was no
30:19sexual arousal
30:20in any aspect
30:22of what
30:23transpired.
30:25I think
30:25he'd have
30:26deflected from
30:26that because
30:27that's something
30:28that he would
30:28not want people
30:29saying about him
30:31that he was
30:31a sex offender.
30:33He would
30:34rather be
30:34thought of
30:35as angry
30:35than being
30:36sexually
30:37motivated
30:38and I
30:38think he'd
30:39have been
30:39quite adept
30:40at trying
30:40to get
30:41the police
30:42to concentrate
30:43on the anger
30:44and ignore
30:45the sexual
30:45motivation.
30:48Detectives
30:49questioned
30:49Covington
30:50about where
30:51he'd been
30:52found hiding.
31:08Most times
31:09you'll be
31:10interviewing
31:10somebody
31:11there's some
31:11level of
31:12remorse
31:12right
31:13for what
31:13they did.
31:14This one
31:15was definitely
31:15way different.
31:18As the
31:19interrogation
31:20continued
31:21Dale was
31:22tasked
31:23with
31:23investigating
31:2435-year-old
31:25Covington's
31:26background.
31:29Even with
31:30somebody who
31:30confesses
31:31immediately
31:32you still
31:32need to
31:33build that
31:34case
31:34to prove
31:35it.
31:36Dale
31:37questioned
31:37Covington's
31:38previous
31:38employers.
31:40He had
31:42worked for
31:42the Department
31:42of Corrections.
31:43They
31:44explained to
31:45me that
31:45they did
31:46have
31:46problems
31:47with him
31:48disciplinary
31:49issues
31:49the
31:50tardiness
31:51and the
31:52just not
31:52even showing
31:53up for
31:53work.
31:54He also
31:55had
31:57investigations
31:57on him
31:58for abusing
31:59inmates.
32:01On May
32:0214th
32:03Dale got
32:04a call
32:05from a
32:05potential
32:06witness
32:06to the
32:07Mother's
32:07Day
32:07murders.
32:09This
32:09gentleman
32:09was friends
32:10of a
32:11man that
32:12lived right
32:12next door
32:13to the
32:13scene.
32:14He was
32:14helping him
32:15install a
32:15roof
32:16on his
32:16deck.
32:18And while
32:19he was
32:20there,
32:21he and
32:22his friend
32:23kept hearing
32:24noises coming
32:25from the
32:27crime scene
32:28before it
32:28was known
32:29to be a
32:29crime scene.
32:31And he
32:32was looking
32:32over there
32:33and he
32:34saw a
32:35window that
32:36was unobscured.
32:37The blinds
32:38were pulled
32:38off to the
32:39side.
32:39And he
32:40saw the
32:41gentleman
32:42that he
32:43knew
32:44frequented
32:45there.
32:45He could
32:45tell he
32:46was striking
32:46something.
32:47He would
32:47also hear
32:48a subsequent
32:49what he
32:50thought was
32:50a dog
32:50yelping
32:51in pain.
32:52It was
32:52later
32:53determined
32:53that that
32:54dog was
32:54beaten
32:54with a
32:55hammer.
32:56Being
32:56beaten
32:5615 or
32:58more
32:58times,
33:00one after
33:01another,
33:01after another,
33:02after another,
33:02it's just
33:03so cold.
33:05I think
33:06he did
33:06that just
33:07out of
33:07spite
33:08because even
33:09though he
33:10already killed
33:10my sister,
33:11he wanted
33:12to hurt her
33:13more because
33:14she knew
33:15that she
33:15loved all
33:17animals and
33:18that was
33:18another way
33:19to get
33:19hurt.
33:23Animals,
33:24for some
33:24reason,
33:24are my
33:25weak point
33:25now.
33:26I can
33:26disassociate
33:27myself from
33:28the human
33:29aspect usually
33:29pretty good.
33:31when I get
33:32into the
33:32animals,
33:33I have a
33:34more difficult
33:35time.
33:40Dale needed
33:41to find out
33:42if the man
33:43in the
33:43window was
33:44indeed
33:45Edward Covington.
33:47I went
33:48back to the
33:48office and
33:49used the
33:49suspect's
33:51photo as
33:52a base and
33:52then created
33:53a photo
33:54pack of
33:55similar-looking
33:56individuals so
33:58that they could
33:58do an
33:59identification
34:00of the
34:01person that
34:01they saw
34:02at the
34:02scene.
34:02And I
34:03told him,
34:03I want
34:03you to
34:03study it.
34:04I don't
34:04want you
34:04to just
34:05pick one.
34:05And after
34:0611 seconds,
34:07he said it
34:08was this
34:09one right
34:09here.
34:09And he
34:10identified
34:10Edward
34:11Covington.
34:12It didn't
34:13come as a
34:14shock when
34:15he was named
34:16as a
34:17suspect.
34:18It just
34:19didn't make
34:20sense any
34:20other way
34:21than it to
34:22be Edward
34:23Covington
34:23covered in
34:24blood,
34:25found in
34:25the closet.
34:26Edward
34:27Covington
34:28was charged
34:28with three
34:29counts of
34:30first-degree
34:30murder,
34:31three counts
34:32of abuse
34:33of a dead
34:33body,
34:34and one
34:34count of
34:35animal cruelty.
34:36He confessed
34:37to the brutal
34:38and senseless
34:39murders of the
34:40family who'd
34:41put their trust
34:41in him and
34:42allowed him
34:43into their
34:43home.
34:44It seemed
34:45he was willing
34:45to take
34:46accountability
34:46for his
34:47actions,
34:48but that
34:48was about
34:50to change.
35:00On May
35:0114, 2008,
35:03in Hillsborough
35:03County,
35:04Florida,
35:0535-year-old
35:06Edward
35:06Covington
35:07had confessed
35:08to the
35:09Mother's Day
35:09murders of
35:10his girlfriend
35:10Lisa and
35:12her two
35:12children,
35:13seven-year-old
35:14Zachary and
35:15two-year-old
35:16Savannah.
35:21If you look
35:22at all the
35:22facts, it
35:23seems what
35:24other recourse
35:24does he have
35:25really,
35:26other than
35:26just fall
35:27on the
35:28sword,
35:28or is he
35:29going to
35:29take a
35:29chance and
35:29hope that
35:30he gets
35:30lucky?
35:31And that's
35:31exactly what
35:32he tried
35:32to do.
35:34Despite
35:35his detailed
35:36confession,
35:37at his plea
35:38hearing on
35:38June 5,
35:402008,
35:41Covington
35:41pled not
35:42guilty.
35:43For almost
35:44six years,
35:46Covington
35:46fought to
35:48be considered
35:49incapable of
35:50standing trial
35:51because of a
35:52mental imbalance.
35:53In other
35:54words, I'm
35:54not guilty
35:55because I'm
35:55mad.
35:57This man
35:57is highly
35:58manipulative.
35:59He must
36:01have known
36:01that he
36:03was not
36:04going to be
36:04able to
36:04beat the
36:05forensics.
36:06All he
36:06can do
36:07is try
36:08to defend
36:09what he
36:10did.
36:11Now, one
36:12of his
36:12ways of
36:13defending
36:14himself is
36:15to raise
36:15the idea
36:16that I'm
36:16mentally ill,
36:17that I
36:18had a
36:18psychotic
36:18moment.
36:20Maybe that
36:21had something
36:22to do with
36:22crouching in
36:24the bedroom,
36:24hiding in the
36:25cupboard,
36:25just adding
36:26to this idea
36:27that this man
36:28is insane.
36:29And certainly
36:30the crime scene
36:31looks like
36:33only an
36:34insane person
36:36could have
36:37done that.
36:42Covington, he would
36:43work the system,
36:44and that's exactly
36:45what he did for
36:46all those years
36:47before he
36:48actually came to
36:49trial.
36:52Ultimately, he
36:53was deemed
36:54competent to
36:55stand trial,
36:56and on
36:57October 22,
36:582014, over
37:00six years since
37:01the murders,
37:0242-year-old
37:03Edward Covington
37:04finally appeared
37:05at the Hillsborough
37:06County Circuit
37:07Court in
37:08Florida.
37:09The following
37:09day, after the
37:11opening statements
37:12had been read,
37:12Covington changed
37:14his plea to
37:15guilty, and
37:16waived his
37:17right to a jury
37:18for the penalty
37:19phase of his
37:20trial.
37:22And that might
37:23look as if this
37:25is a man who's
37:26accepting responsibility
37:27for what he's
37:29done, but it's
37:31equally possible
37:32that he's reached
37:33the end of the
37:34process, this
37:35trial's going
37:36ahead now.
37:36All of his
37:37insanity, pleas,
37:38and everything,
37:38that's all been
37:39done.
37:39Now, if the
37:41trial goes ahead,
37:42all the detail
37:43comes out.
37:45And the only
37:46way to protect
37:46himself from
37:47that is to
37:49plead guilty
37:49so there is
37:51no trial.
37:52No jury gets
37:53to hear all of
37:54that stuff that
37:55might make him
37:57look like a
37:58sexual predator
37:59or in some
38:00way he doesn't
38:01want to be
38:01represented.
38:03So I think it's
38:04quite possible that
38:05that guilty plea
38:06at the last
38:06minute is another
38:08manipulation of
38:09the system
38:09to his benefit.
38:12Detective Troy
38:13Morgan was called
38:14to testify at
38:15the sentencing
38:16hearing.
38:18We started
38:18playing the
38:19interview and
38:20Covington asked
38:21not to be present
38:22because he didn't
38:23want to relive it
38:23again, which I
38:24thought was
38:25selfish.
38:26He's worried
38:27about himself,
38:28which I guess at
38:28this point in time,
38:29I guess that's
38:29all he's going
38:30to worry about.
38:31The judge made
38:32him come every
38:33single day to
38:34say, I don't
38:35want to be here.
38:35And then they
38:36let him go sit
38:37in Holden's cell.
38:39Everything about
38:40Covington is
38:41selfish.
38:43Everything is
38:44motivated around
38:45what he wants,
38:46what he needs,
38:47and that was
38:48clear on this
38:48murder.
38:52The findings of
38:54the autopsies
38:55were presented
38:55to the judge.
38:57The youngest
38:57child, the two-year-old
38:59daughter, Savannah,
39:00that was especially
39:02brutal.
39:02She had radiating
39:04fractures in
39:05leg bones,
39:07arm bones.
39:08It was learned
39:10that he probably
39:12had picked her up
39:13by the legs
39:14and threw her
39:15against the wall
39:17and into the couch.
39:18She had
39:20multiple stab wounds,
39:23just outrageously
39:24brutal.
39:27Savannah, I'm sure,
39:28felt the terror
39:29of what he was
39:31doing.
39:36Lisa had
39:37multiple injuries.
39:39Her skull
39:39was fractured,
39:40she'd been stabbed
39:42in the chest,
39:43and her throat
39:44had been cut.
39:47Zachary
39:48also had
39:50multiple stab wounds
39:51in his chest,
39:53in his back,
39:54in his neck.
40:08The numerous
40:09psychiatrists
40:10who'd evaluated
40:11Covington
40:12also gave evidence.
40:15One of the
40:16psychiatrists
40:17working for the
40:18state
40:18described him
40:19to the court
40:20as threatening,
40:21aggressive,
40:22hostile,
40:23and angry.
40:23and I think
40:24that's exactly
40:25what he was
40:26and he couldn't
40:27control it.
40:29The details
40:30that came out
40:31during the hearing
40:32were almost
40:33too much
40:34for the family
40:35to comprehend.
40:37He's not a human.
40:39He's a monster.
40:40How could you do
40:42that to a
40:42two-year-old?
40:44How could you do
40:45that to a seven-year-old?
40:47How could you do
40:48that to a mother
40:49that was
40:49just trying to
40:51survive
40:51and find love?
40:54How could he
40:55do that?
40:56I don't know.
40:57But
40:58that's why
41:00I consider him
41:01a monster
41:01and not human.
41:07Lisa's mum,
41:08Barbara,
41:09was invited
41:10to read
41:10a victim impact
41:12statement
41:12to the court.
41:16I miss
41:17Lisa,
41:18Zachary,
41:18and Savannah
41:19with everything
41:19in me.
41:20I miss them
41:21so deeply
41:22that most times
41:23I can't stand it.
41:25I miss
41:26their voices,
41:28their smiles,
41:29their hugs,
41:30and their kisses.
41:32The day I found them
41:33is the day
41:34I died too.
41:35My life
41:36has never been
41:37the same.
41:46For the family,
41:48the pain
41:48of losing
41:49Lisa,
41:50Zachary,
41:51and Savannah
41:52still weighs heavily
41:53on their hearts.
41:55Lisa did so much
41:57for me
41:57and I
41:59could never
42:00tell her
42:01how much
42:01I love her.
42:03I wish
42:04she was still around
42:05because I miss
42:06her that much.
42:07I miss
42:08her friendship.
42:10I miss
42:10her guidance.
42:12She was
42:13my world.
42:19On May
42:2029th,
42:222015,
42:23at the Hillsborough
42:24County Circuit
42:24Court,
42:2542-year-old
42:26Edward Covington
42:28was sentenced
42:28to death.
42:32I would
42:33say that
42:34Edward Covington's
42:35murder
42:36and dismemberment
42:37of this
42:38family
42:39was probably
42:41the most
42:42evil murder
42:43that I worked
42:44in my career.
42:48Thankfully,
42:49we won't have
42:50to worry about him
42:51hurting anybody else
42:52ever again.
42:54Before this,
42:56I wouldn't
42:57be sure
42:58if I believed
42:59in the death penalty.
43:00However,
43:02after going
43:03through what
43:04my family
43:05has gone
43:05through,
43:06I found
43:07that it
43:08is okay
43:09to be
43:10not thankful
43:12but accepting
43:14of the death
43:15penalty sentence.
43:18Edward Covington
43:20remains on
43:20death row
43:21at the Union
43:22Correctional
43:23Institution
43:24in Florida,
43:25awaiting his fate.
43:26I look forward
43:28to that day
43:29and I think
43:30that's when
43:31we can truly
43:32close the door
43:34and move on
43:35once he
43:37is executed.
43:42I want this
43:44behind us.
43:45I want
43:46the monster
43:48gone.
43:54Covington
43:55slaughtered
43:56an entire
43:56family
43:57in a
43:58murderous
43:58drug-fuelled
43:59rage.
44:00He went
44:00on to
44:01mutilate
44:01and violate
44:02their bodies
44:03in one
44:03of the
44:04most horrific
44:05crimes
44:05that Hillsborough
44:06County
44:06has ever
44:07seen.
44:08He's never
44:09apologised
44:09for his
44:10actions
44:10or offered
44:11any reasonable
44:12explanation
44:13for them,
44:14which is why
44:15Edward Covington
44:16will go down
44:16in history
44:17as one
44:18of the
44:18world's
44:19most evil
44:20killers.
44:47In the
44:48world's
44:51death
44:51.
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