⚖️ The Decision
On April 6, 2017, the Florida Supreme Court overturned Thomas Rigterink's death sentence under the landmark Hurst v. Florida ruling. The court determined that his non-unanimous jury recommendation (7-5 votes instead of 12-0) violated the Sixth Amendment and Florida state constitution.
📊 Hurst Relief Granted
Rigterink was one of 147 Florida prisoners (out of 313 reviewed) who obtained relief under Hurst. His case became part of a historic reconsideration of Florida's death penalty sentencing procedures, affecting hundreds of capital cases statewide and fundamentally changing how death sentences are imposed in Florida.
📋 Current Status
Following the Hurst ruling, Rigterink's case was remanded for resentencing. He remains incarcerated in Florida's prison system pending the outcome of ongoing legal proceedings. He is NOT on any execution schedule as of 2026.
Thomas Rigterink stabs Jeremy Jarvis 22 times and Allison Sousa 6 times in Winter Haven, Florida.
Thomas Rigterink is arrested and confesses to detectives in a videotaped statement.
Jury convicts Rigterink on two counts of first-degree murder after nine hours of deliberation.
Jury recommends death by a narrow 7-5 vote on each count (non-unanimous).
Circuit Judge J. Dale Durrance sentences Rigterink to death for both murders.
Florida Supreme Court overturns Rigterink's convictions due to improper Miranda rights advisement.
U.S. Supreme Court halts Rigterink's retrial, issuing a stay of the case.
After retrial, Rigterink is again convicted and sentenced to death.
Florida Supreme Court decides Hurst v. State, establishing that non-unanimous jury recommendations violate the Constitution.
Florida Supreme Court overturns Rigterink's death sentence under the Hurst ruling.
Rigterink remains incarcerated in Florida's prison system pending resentencing.
From the crime in 2003 through multiple trials, appeals, and the landmark Hurst ruling in 2017.
Two trials, convictions, death sentences, landmark Supreme Court decisions, and the Hurst appeal.
The confession, the crime scene, the investigation, and the evidence that shaped the case.
Court documents, news articles, Supreme Court rulings, and official records including Hurst briefs.
Interactive map showing key locations: crime scene, arrest site, courthouse, and investigation areas.
On September 24, 2003, Thomas William Rigterink, a former model and college student, stabbed Jeremy Jarvis 22 times and Allison Sousa 6 times in Winter Haven, Florida. Both victims died from their wounds. Rigterink was arrested on October 15, 2003, and initially confessed to detectives in a videotaped statement. He was convicted of two counts of first-degree murder in 2005 and sentenced to death by a 7-5 jury vote—a non-unanimous recommendation.
In 2009, the Florida Supreme Court overturned his convictions due to improper Miranda rights advisement. After a retrial, he was again convicted and sentenced to death in 2005. However, in 2017, the landmark Hurst v. Florida ruling determined that non-unanimous jury death recommendations violated the Constitution, leading to the overturn of his death sentence.