PRESS RELEASE

Sanford man sentenced to death for killing pregnant girlfriend who refused abortion

A Seminole County judge has sentenced DONOVAN L. FAISON to death for killing his pregnant girlfriend and their unborn son after she refused to get an abortion.

Prosecutors convicted Faison at trial in October of first-degree murder with a firearm, killing an unborn child, and burglary with a firearm for shooting Kaylin Fiengo, 18, as she sat in her car at a Sanford park in 2022.  The jury voted 11-1 on Oct. 30 to recommend the death penalty for Faison.

At a hearing Dec. 5 in Sanford, Circuit Judge Donna Goerner sentenced Faison on the  three charges to:

  • Death for first-degree murder
  • Death for killing of an unborn child. 
  • Life in prison without parole (the maximum sentence) for burglary of a vehicle with an assault or battery

At trial, Assistant State Attorneys Stewart Stone, Domenick Leo and Anna Valentini asked jurors to vote for the death penalty based on aggravating factors described in state law.  

“You may and should consider the cold, calculated, premeditated nature of this killing,” Stone told jurors. “This was an execution-style killing.”

Another aggravating factor: That Faison killed a child younger than 12 while committing another capital felony, the premeditated murder of the mother.

At trial, prosecutors presented text messages that showed Faison was angry at Fiengo for not terminating the pregnancy and that he vowed to a friend that he would “crop her out.”  The messages showed Faison lured Fiengo to a meeting at Coastline Park the night Sanford Police found her there, dead in her Nissan Versa from a gunshot to her head.

Communications & Media

Matt Reed
Public Information Officer

Office of the State Attorney
18th Judicial Circuit
2725 Judge Fran Jamieson Way
Building D
Viera, Fl. 32940

(321) 617-7310
mreed@sa18.org