GUILTY FL - Michael Wachholtz & Jason Galehouse, both 26, murdered, Tampa, 20 Dec 2003 *Arrests*

[Pandora]

AmandaB, you read my mind!!!

 

[Beyond Belief]

Scott Schweickert was found guilty on charges of conspiracy with Steven Lorenzo.


Schweickert, 41, was found guilty of distributing GHB with the intent of committing a crime of violence against Michael Wachholtz. He was acquitted of the drug distribution charge involving a second man, Jason Galehouse.


Jurors began deliberations Friday afternoon after attorneys delivered closing arguments.
The prosecution says Schweickert conspired with Steven Lorenzo to drug, torture and kill Galehouse and Wachholtz on successive nights in December 2003. Both victims were lured to Lorenzo’s house from the nightclub 2606, according to evidence presented in court.
http://www.tboblogs.com/index.php/newswire/story/jury-begins-deliberations/

 

[popsicle]

Defendant in 2003 torture killings brought to Tampa to face trial

Lorenzo, 55, is serving a 200-year sentence in federal prison for giving nine men, including Wachholtz and Galehouse, the "date-rape" drug GHB with the intent to commit violence, and also for conspiring with Schweickert to distribute the drug.

Schweickert, convicted of giving the drug to Wachholtz, is serving a 40-year term.

http://www.tampabay.com/news/courts...llings-brought-to-tampa-to-face-trial/2180133

Schweickert was never charged with murder, only for helping to dismember bodies. Now he faces the death penalty. June 9th is arraignment

 

[OkieGranny]

From September 2012:

http://www.tampabay.com/news/courts...ping-torture-and-kill-tampa-men-faces/1253698

On Sept. 20, a grand jury indicted Scott Paul Schweickert, 47, on two counts of first-degree murder in the deaths of Galehouse and Wachholtz... Schweickert acted with "premeditated design," according to the indictment, which was unsealed Thursday.

In 2003, police say, Schweickert flew in from Illinois and with Steven Lorenzo, 53, of Tampa, brought Galehouse and Wachholtz from Club 2606 on Armenia Avenue to Lorenzo's house on Powhatan Avenue, where they drugged and killed the men on successive days that December...

It's unclear why the indictment came now, nearly nine years after the killings. The court file doesn't list new evidence, and the Hillsborough County State Attorney's Office declined to elaborate. A Miranda rights issue may have been one holdup.

From May 2014:

http://www.myfoxtampabay.com/story/25541526/schweickert-brought-back-to-tampa-to-face-murder-charges

The two men were eventually tried in federal court on drug charges. Lorenzo got 200 years on those charges; Schweickert got 40 years for helping. Lorenzo still has never been charged with murder.

But in September of 2012, a grand jury indicted Schweickert on murder and kidnapping charges.

Thursday, Schweickert was returned to Tampa from a jail in Arizona to face murder charges and a death penalty trial.

His arraignment in June is the most recent news I can find.

 

[Rayemonde]

May 2007 -
Scott Schweickert is convicted of conspiring to distribute GHB and sentenced to 40 years.

During the trial, jurors viewed dozens of instant message chats between Schweickert and Lorenzo in which they discussed drugging and torturing unsuspecting victims and making them "disappear".

Steven Lorenzo was convicted in 2005 on 9 counts of administering GHB and one of conspiracy, and sentenced to 200 years.

https://news.google.com/newspapers?...AAIBAJ&sjid=f3QDAAAAIBAJ&pg=4665,150489&hl=en

 

[Rayemonde]

November 2015:

Twelve years ago, fear gripped the Tampa Bay gay community after two men disappeared without a trace.

On Monday, the man accused of their murder was back in a Tampa courtroom...

Schweickert now faces murder charges. He is accused of killing and torturing the victims, Michael Wachholtz and Jason Galehouse.

Sources told FOX 13 that Schweickert is willing to admit only to certain crimes to avoid a death penalty.

The State Attorney's Office is reviewing the issue, but no decision has been made.

http://www.fox13news.com/web/wtvt/news/local-news/50107565-story

 

[0101ABA]

Scott Schweickert plead guilty to two counts of first degree murder for killing 26-year-old Jason Galehouse and another man, Michael Wachholtz. Schweickert says he and a friend, Steve Lorenzo, tortured, drugged, raped and murdered the men after leaving a Tampa nightclub on two separate occasions in December of 2003.

(...)

Lorenzo, who's already in federal prison for drugging victims could be indicted by a grand jury for the murders.

Schweickert intends to testify against him, blaming him for the actual killings according to the state.

"There won't be justice until we get Lorenzo-- that's the ultimate goal,” said a friend, Tyler.

http://www.abcactionnews.com/news/r...s-guilty-to-two-counts-of-first-degree-murder

 

[0101ABA]

Steven Lorenzo will use ‘sovereign citizen' defense

(...) Now sources say Lorenzo plans to represent himself and claim to be a sovereign citizen -- that U.S. laws don't apply to him.

"It’s the new fad defense,” legal expert Anthony Rickman offered. “It’s you can’t prosecute me because I’m a sovereign citizen and I am a country of my own, therefore the laws of the state of Florida of the United States don't apply to me. But that’s just not true.”

 

[dotr]

http://www.tampabay.com/news/courts...-court-13-years-after-torture-murders/2338959

The case received widespread attention at the time, with speculation that other gay men may have been victimized

rbbm.

 

[JerseyGirl]

Prosecutors say notorious murder suspect Steven Lorenzo and his partner tortured, drugged and dismembered their victims. Lorenzo faces two counts of murder and, if convicted, faces the death penalty.

However, he's acting as his own attorney and that has stalled the case, making the mother of one victims extremely unhappy.

Prosecutors say both men were drugged, tortured and murdered by Lorenzo and his co-defendant Scott Schweikert, at Lorenzo's Seminole Heights home.

Schweikert took a deal years ago and is serving a life sentence. But Lorenzo's trial has been pushed back to April of 2020 and that had Williams gave the judge a piece of her mind.

Murder victim's mother protests trial delays: "I've suffered enough, 16 years now"

 

[JerseyGirl]

Lorenzo asks judge for video interviews with hometown friends, family

 

[JerseyGirl]

Despite heated hearing, trial for accused double-murderer Steven Lorenzo set for April

Lorenzo's trial is set for April 5, 2021. He faces the death penalty if convicted.

 

[jeweljunkie]

Anyone have any updates on the trial date?

 

[MajorHoople]

Anyone have any updates on the trial date?

Nope, trial date for Lorenzo is still in limbo.

"Back at the Zoom hearing, Schweickert got his wish. Prosecutors agreed to send him back to prison until a firm trial date is set."

Accused murderer back in court; co-defendant complains about pandemic-related delays

 

[JerseyGirl]

A trial is now set for April

In 2003, 2 men vanished in Tampa. 18 years later, a murder case still lingers

 

[JerseyGirl]

Trial in infamous Tampa murder delayed again

Steven Lorenzo, was scheduled to go on trial Monday. But the trial has been delayed again. This time, to January of 2023.

 

[megs1477]

19 years later, Steven Lorenzo admits to 2 Tampa murders (Warning, Paywall. 3 articles a month)
19 years later, Steven Lorenzo admits to 2 Tampa murders

Steven Lorenzo admitted in a Tampa courtroom that he drugged, sexually tortured and murdered both men before disposing of their bodies.

In a slightly surreal court hearing Tuesday morning, Lorenzo listened quietly as a prosecutor recited a graphic account of the crimes. He said the details were mostly true, but then briefly told his own lurid if somewhat convoluted story in what he said was an effort to correct inaccuracies.

He claimed that there were other people involved in the murder of Galehouse, and that the killing was "a group decision" to stop him from calling the police.

He said he didn't know the other people and was uncertain of their names. He described sexual activity with Galehouse, but said he didn't want to "tarnish the memory of this kid." He admitted that Galehouse was dismembered, but claimed someone else did that part.

"I cannot tell you how much what I'm hearing from you infuriates me," Hillsborough Circuit Judge Christopher Sabella told Lorenzo.

The judge then asked a question many in Tampa have long wondered: Did Lorenzo kill other people?

"No," was his quick reply.

Lorenzo pleaded guilty to two counts of first-degree murder. He remained adamant that he wants the death penalty.

**The Judge is the same from Trevor Summors and Matthew Terry.

 

[megs1477]

 

[Weki]

The video skips unfortunately. Not sure why L&C edited some of the critical parts out. But he says Galehouse was killed bc of a bondage scenario gone wrong and fear of being charged as a result? Up to that point he comes across as remorseful - boy, he fooled me for a sec. It seems they were drugging, raping, and killing men for sport. I knew nothing about this case before watching the video from yesterday! This whole ploy of wanting to be put to death is a sympathy play.

 

[JerseyGirl]

Two decades after double murder, Steven Lorenzo pleads guilty in Tampa court, asks judge for death penalty

After fighting his murder case for years, 63-year-old Steven Lorenzo, the man accused of drugging, torturing and killing two gay men in Tampa almost 20 years ago, pleaded guilty to two counts of first-degree murder.

www.fox13news.com

Before the plea hearing wrapped up, Judge Sabella scheduled the penalty phase of the case for February 2023.

Prosecutors announced they plan to call to the stand, three surviving victims of Lorenzo who escaped his attack decades ago. After the testimony from the state and Lorenzo is over, the judge will hand down his sentence.