A Florida Family's Search for Justice Ends Tragically

In 2017, music teacher Debbie Liles was murdered in her own home. In 2018, the family was scheduled to meet with her murderer, but he refused. And his refusal might have triggered another death in the family.

The Murder of Debbie Liles

Debbie Liles, a resident of Jacksonville, Florida, a mother of five and a grandmother of five, was found brutally beaten to death on March 23, 2017.

Earlier in the day, Adam Christopher Lawson Jr., a then-recently released burglar, had broken into the house, where Debbie was home alone. Lawson grabbed a golf club and attacked Debbie, killing her. Lawson proceeded to ransack the house and stole the family's car.

A week and a half after the murder, Lawson was arrested. Because of the circumstances of the murder, Lawson could have been subject to the death penalty if he was convicted.

An Absence of True Justice

A year later, as part of a broader effort in Florida to embrace the idea of restorative justice, the state prosecutors offered Lawson a plea deal unlike any in United States history: in exchange for taking the death penalty off the table, Lawson would plead guilty and serve life in prison ... on the condition that he met with the Liles family and honestly answered any questions they had.

Debbie's husband of 41 years, Michael Lawson, and the five adult children of Debbie all assembled in the prosecutor's office to meet with Debbie's murderer.

But Lawson refused to meet with them. No amount of cajoling or insistence from his lawyers or the prosecutors would budge him.

Apparently, a few days prior, Lawson had received a letter from Gerard Liles, one of Debbie's sons. According to the Marshall Project, the letter read, in part, "I am writing to say that I forgive you ... No matter what you've done or will do God can still do good in and through you."

This apparently broke Lawson, who was not expecting mercy or compassion from his victim's family. The guilt overwhelmed him. "I can't, I can't, I can't," he stated, according to the Marshall Project. "After what I've taken from them? I can't ..." he repeated on the day of the scheduled meeting.

Another Tragedy Follows

Lawson's refusal to meet with the Liles had far-reaching and painful consequences. It basically put a halt to any more restorative justice initiatives in Florida, but it also affected the Lileses in a much more personal way.

Michael Liles, Debbie's husband, was hit hard by Lawson's unwillingness to meet with them. A few weeks after the failed meeting, his daughter Rachel found him dead, just a few feet from where he had found Debbie's body a year prior. Officially, the cause of death was stress-induced cardiomyopathy, also known as "broken-heart syndrome."

The Lileses debated whether to let the plea deal go through in the wake of more loss. Eventually, they decided to show mercy; Lawson was allowed to plead guilty and was sentenced to life. During the sentencing hearing, the Liles family read victim-impact statements.

Lawson plugged his ears during all the statements.

The Liles family is pursuing a lawsuit against Lawson for wrongful death and civil battery, and exploring what justice looks like for them in the wake of such senseless loss. Perhaps one day, they will find the answers they seek.

References: They Agreed to Meet Their Mother's Killer. Then Tragedy Struck Again. | Plea spares felon death penalty | Man pleads guilty in music teacher's killing to spare his life