The Supreme Court of Florida has affirmed the first-degree premeditated murder conviction and death sentence of William F. Roberts, ending a lengthy appellate process centered on his choices to waive a jury trial and block his own defense team from presenting mitigating evidence.

Case Background

The case stems from the December 18, 2017, death of Roberts’ then-girlfriend, Elizabeth Hellstrom. According to court records, Roberts sent a text message to a friend, Glen Reynolds, stating he had argued with Hellstrom and that she had become unresponsive, though he claimed he was able to “bring her back.” Later that day, Roberts told Reynolds that 30 Klonopin pills were missing and eventually confessed that Hellstrom was dead in the trunk of her Toyota Camry.

Deputies later discovered Hellstrom’s naked body in the trunk of her car, wrapped in a mattress pad and a blue tarp. Investigators also recovered a shovel, a pickaxe, a propane tank, a hose, and a regulator valve from the vehicle. A search of the couple’s shared camper revealed blood on three walls of the sleeping area and stripped bedding.

Competency Appeal

On initial appeal, the Florida Supreme Court temporarily paused the case in late 2023, ordering a retroactive, or nunc pro tunc, hearing to evaluate whether Roberts had been mentally competent to stand trial. Roberts refused to attend that September 2024 competency hearing in person or virtually.

During that hearing, three expert witnesses and the original trial judge testified that Roberts was competent during his trial. Experts pointed out that Roberts had successfully earned his GED while in custody, never took psychotropic medications, and consistently demonstrated linear, logical, and rational thinking in his self-filed pretrial motions.

The Florida Supreme Court rejected Roberts’ argument that this retroactive evaluation relied on stale medical records and a cold record, stating that a case-by-case analysis showed the quantity and quality of the evidence gathered was sufficient.

Original reporting: Tampa Free Press — read the source article.