Bio

William Earl Sweet was born on October 3, 1967. He grew up in the United States. As a young man, Sweet had a troubled path. He became known to law enforcement at an early age. His interactions with the law increased over time. 

By the year 1990, Sweet was living in Duval County, Florida. That June, a significant event took place that changed the course of his life forever. Sweet was implicated in a robbery that led to violence. Law enforcement arrested him soon after. He was charged with serious crimes and faced a difficult trial ahead.

On August 30, 1991, he was sentenced to death for his actions. 

Murder Story

In June 1990, William Earl Sweet was involved in a violent incident that resulted in the death of 13-year-old Felicia Bryant and injuries to others. The situation began with a robbery at the apartment of a woman named Marcine Cofer. After being attacked there, Cofer was able to identify some of her attackers. On the evening of June 26, Cofer was brought to the police station to look at photographs and identify one of the men involved.

Later that evening, Sweet was seen watching Cofer as she returned home. Cofer asked her neighbor, Mattie Bryant, if her daughters, Felicia and Sharon, could spend the night with her. The girls arrived at Cofer's apartment around 8:00 p.m.

At about 1:00 a.m., Sharon heard a loud noise at the door. She woke Cofer, who checked but thought the noise was nothing to worry about. After hearing another noise, Sharon saw someone pulling at the screen in the living room and alerted Cofer again. Cofer looked through the peephole and recognized Sweet standing outside her apartment.

Feeling unsafe, Cofer instructed Felicia to bang on the wall to alert Mattie, who quickly came over. The four women lined up behind the door. When they tried to leave, Sweet forced his way inside. He was attempting to hide his face with a pair of pants. Once inside, he took out a gun and began shooting.

Sweet fired six shots in total. Both Cofer and Felicia were shot twice. Felicia suffered fatal injuries from the gunfire, and she died because of her wounds.

The police arrested Sweet the next day, on June 28, 1990. He was charged with several offenses, including first-degree murder and attempted murder. A jury found him guilty of all charges on May 24, 1991. The jury recommended the death penalty for the murder of Felicia Bryant.

On August 30, 1991, Sweet was sentenced to death for his actions. He received additional life sentences for the attempted murders of Cofer and others, as well as for armed burglary. Sweet went on to file multiple appeals following his conviction, but the Florida Supreme Court upheld his death sentence, and his subsequent appeals were denied.