The Story of Curtis and Catherine

In 1999, Curtis and Catherine, at the ages of 12 and 13, respectively, became the youngest individuals to be charged with first-degree murder as adults in the United States.
Some claims were made that the reason for their crime was that Sonya Nicole Speights stole attention from them, however, they maintained that they committed the murder due to experiencing sexual abuse.

Curtis and Catherine in court

Catherine informed her brother that a male relative had engaged in inappropriate behavior while she was showering, however, the Florida Department of Children and Families opted not to pursue an investigation. As a result, Catherine devised a plan to murder her father, the male relative, and Sonya Nicole Speights. Curtis offered to assist her.

The two targeted Speights, believing that she allowed the sexual abuse to continue. After firing nine shots at Speights and hitting her four times, causing her death, the young children, who were only 12 and 13, realized their mistake and initially claimed it was an accident.

The police located Curtis and Catherine after they fled and concealed themselves in a wooded area. They made history as the youngest individuals ever charged with first-degree murder as adults in the United States. Facing life sentences, the two minors agreed to plead guilty to second-degree murder and were sentenced to 18 years in prison each, followed by probation for the remainder of their lives.

         Sonya Nicole Speights

Due to the plea agreement, no trial took place and no testimony was given, thus preventing Curtis, Catherine, and their legal counsel from presenting documents from the organization that would later become known as the Department of Children and Families (DCF).

These documents indicated that welfare investigators had discovered evidence on multiple occasions of abuse being inflicted upon both Curtis and Catherine by a specific family member who, as per Florida law, was registered as a sex offender.

Why did they stop the investigation after seeing evidence that the children were victims of sexual abuse?

The lack of presentation of evidence proving the sexual abuse suffered by the children likely led to an unjust verdict and sentencing. Despite spending nearly two decades in prison and facing lifetime probation, the children were merely acting in self-defense. They will carry the burden of a murder conviction for the rest of their lives.

Without an aggressive and competent lawyer, juveniles are often terrified of taking plea deals, as was the case here. If there had been a trial, DCF documents might have shown a possible reason for what occurred, which might have made prosecutors want to lower the charges.

Catherine Opens up To Tell Her Story A Decade Later:

The tale was not disclosed until 2009 when Catherine consented to an interview with a reporter from Florida Today. In the sad story, she told, her white biological mother fled for her life and left her children behind after years of domestic abuse.

Curtis and Catherine in a more recent picture

The individual, who is alleged to have abused Catherine and her sibling, served six years in an Alabama prison for robbery. Later, he was convicted of sexually assaulting a 14-year-old girl in Brevard. He resided with the siblings and shared a bed with Curtis. Florida Today has chosen not to reveal his identity as he was never officially charged in connection to the case.

Catherine told, "He would make me perform oral sex until I threw up." She added that her father and Speights, who was his girlfriend at the time, did not believe her.

Lawyer and Florida State University professor Paolo Annino utilized readily accessible records such as child welfare reports, sheriff investigations, and school memos to seek clemency for the siblings. These records confirmed the accuracy of the allegations.

Professor of Public Interest Law, Paolo Annino

During my visit to Homestead Correctional Institution in 2009, Catherine told me that she was willing to do anything to get away from the hell she was born into, even though she felt bad about taking a life. Even jail was a better place.