A Charlotte County judge has again sentenced 50-year-old former professional boxer Dwight Eaglin to death, sending him back to Florida's death row and closing the loop on a capital case that has been winding through the courts for more than two decades.
Eaglin was convicted in connection with the 2003 killings of corrections officer Darla Lathrem and fellow inmate Charles Fuston during a failed escape attempt at Charlotte Correctional Institution in Punta Gorda. Friday’s ruling restores a death sentence first imposed in 2006 and revived after Florida overhauled parts of its capital-punishment system.
The latest sentencing happened June 19 in Punta Gorda, when the court adopted the jury’s Jan. 22, 2026 recommendation. According to WWSB, the judge imposed death on both counts, and Eaglin will be returned to death row while his lawyers begin the mandatory state review process.
Deadly 2003 Escape Attempt Inside Charlotte Correctional
Court records show Eaglin, already serving a life sentence for a 1998 murder in Pinellas County, was working on a prison detail on June 11, 2003 when he and others tried to break out. The escape attempt turned lethal, leaving corrections officer Darla Lathrem and inmate Charles Fuston fatally beaten.
The Florida Supreme Court docket and related filings describe how the plot was carried out inside Charlotte Correctional Institution and how those facts were used to secure Eaglin's later convictions and his original 2006 death sentence.
Jury’s Call and the Prosecutor’s Response
In January, a Charlotte County jury recommended death during a penalty phase that revisited Eaglin’s punishment but not his guilt. Jurors voted 11-1 for death in Lathrem’s murder and 12-0 for death in Fuston’s, according to the State Attorney’s Office.
As the State Attorney's Office reported, prosecutors labeled the crimes “heinous,” and State Attorney Amira Fox said, “We will never let up when it comes to seeking justice, not after a day, a year, or decades.” In Florida’s death-penalty world, that kind of long horizon has become almost routine.
How the Case Landed Back in Court
The resentencing did not come out of nowhere. It followed changes to Florida’s death-penalty law that opened the door to new penalty hearings in older cases.
In 2023, Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a bill lowering the jury recommendation threshold for death from a unanimous vote to 8 of 12 jurors. That change triggered fresh penalty phases in several long-running capital cases, including Eaglin’s, and the governor’s office issued a public statement when the measure was signed.
What Comes Next in the Legal Fight
With the new death sentence now entered, Florida law requires an automatic review by the state’s highest court. Under Florida Statute Florida Senate, any death sentence must be forwarded to the Florida Supreme Court for priority review.
Defense attorneys will file the notice and assemble the record that starts that process. That review can be lengthy and often leads to additional post-conviction challenges, which means this case is still not close to its final chapter.
Family Finds Some Relief, but No Closure
Family members of Darla Lathrem were in the courtroom for the sentencing and said they felt relief at the judge’s decision, even knowing the legal process is far from over.
As the State Attorney's Office recounted, Lathrem’s sister said, “Our family is grateful that jurors made the appropriate recommendation.”
Eaglin will now be transported back to death row while his case is assembled for automatic appeal. No execution date has been set, WWSB reports, and the mandatory review could generate yet more rounds of litigation in Florida’s courts.
