Kirk D. Williams sentenced to death

His murder of Susan Dykes was ‘especially heinous, atrocious or cruel,’ judge says  

DeFUNIAK SPRINGS — Unlike most people, Kirk D. Williams will know the date, the place and how he will die.

Walton County Circuit Judge Kelvin Wells sentenced Williams to death Tuesday for killing his girlfriend, 48-year-old Susan Dykes

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Williams, 29, was found guilty in February of the first-degree premeditated murder. After the trial, the jury voted 11-1 to recommend the death penalty.

Williams beat Dykes to death Oct. 3, 2006, with an aluminum T-ball bat in her mobile home near DeFuniak Springs. Williams then tied cinder blocks to Dykes’ body before he dumped her into Lake Cassidy near the Holmes County line. Her body was recovered a few days later when it floated to the surface.

Williams, with hands and feet shackled, shuffled into court wearing a bright orange jumpsuit. He wore a full brown beard and sat with a muted expression between his lawyers, Mike Flowers and Jay Gontarek, as Wells sentenced him to death.

“May God have mercy on your soul,” Wells said after reading the sentence.

He said the aggravating factors in the case outweighed the mitigating issues. Wells found that Williams killed Dykes to avoid going back to jail, and because he tried to dispose of the body, it showed that he didn't want to get caught. An inmate also testified during the trial that Williams told him that he killed Dykes to avoid arrest for looting her bank account.

Wells also found that Williams killed Dykes to use her home, car and other personal belongings. After Williams sunk Dykes’ body into the lake, he continued to drive her car, stay at her home and use her check card to buy crack cocaine.

Wells said the crime was “especially heinous, atrocious or cruel.” The evidence showed that William hit the 5-foot, 1-inch Dykes with the bat as she stood in front of him in the bedroom of her mobile home. At some point, Williams gagged Dykes, which showed that she was still alive.

“There is no reason to gag a dead person,” Wells said.

Another aggravating factor was that the crime was committed in a cold and calculated manner, Wells said. A receipt from Wal-Mart showed that Williams bought a lock for the back door of Dykes’ mobile home the day of the murder, which “leads to the conclusion that the defendant planned to commit the murder and secure the crime scene,” Wells said.

Wells also said the mitigating factor of Williams being impaired during a cocaine binge was not proven because Williams was able to drive Dykes’ car for several days after the incident and was able to formulate a plan to cover up the crime by disposing of the body.

Wells gave moderate consideration to other mitigating factors, such as Williams’ unstable childhood and his history of substance abuse, which he got treatment for about a year before the murder.

Wells gave little or no weight to factors such as psychological tests or how Williams showed remorse for the crime. Williams denied that he killed Dykes at a hearing after the trial. Wells dismissed the claim.

After Tuesday’s hearing, Dykes' daughter, Jennifer Gess, stood outside the courthouse with friends and family. She said she was satisfied with Wells’ decision.

“My mom can now rest in peace,” she said.

To watch a video of Kirk D. Williams’ sentencing, go to nwfdailynews.com