THE DARK SIDE OF FLORIDA
David Baugher
#Y32030
photo courtesy FDOC
Full Name: David John Baugher
Date of birth: January 5, 1976
Conviction: 2nd-degree murder
County: Lee
City: Sanibel
Current Location: Everglades Correctional Institution
Date of crime: April 28, 2006
Tentative discharge date: July 1, 2019
Victim(s): Stacie Davis
Date of birth: January 5, 1976
Conviction: 2nd-degree murder
County: Lee
City: Sanibel
Current Location: Everglades Correctional Institution
Date of crime: April 28, 2006
Tentative discharge date: July 1, 2019
Victim(s): Stacie Davis
Sanibel’s first murder in 20 years ended in a plea deal despite the efforts of family members who begged the judge to reject the deal. David Baugher admitted to killing Stacie Davis while high on prescription drugs, namely Klonopin. On April 28, 2006, Stacie’s was murdered. Her body was discovered underneath a boardwalk near Sanibel’s historic lighthouse. That same day, David, who had confessed about the killing to his girlfriend, was arrested.
Stacie and David were classmates at Bishop Verot High School. They were reacquainted while patients in a mental health facility in Punta Gorda. Stacie was there after attempting suicide. After they were released, they became friends. David even offered to let Stacie, who was going through a divorce, move in with him.
On April 28, at 1 a.m., Stacie’s parents tried to keep her from leaving with David to go to downtown bars. It was the last time they saw her alive. Two days later, a missing persons report was filed for Stacie. Almost a week later, police received a solid lead from David’s brother. Brian Baugher told a Sanibel police lieutenant he believed his brother “May have killed a Fort Myers woman.” The information came from an employee of Brian’s who worked with David at Island Outfitters on Captiva. Detectives interviewed her, and she told police David confessed to her about the killing and asked her to help with an alibi.
Detectives interviewed David, who cooperated, but denied any involvement. At one point, David stopped the interview so he could call his brother to tell him he would be late for work. When he returned from making the call, David told detectives he would only be questioned in the presence of his attorney. Once his attorney arrived, he advised David not to make any more statements.
David left the sheriff’s office, but his every move was watched by surveillance teams. On May 11, with a microphone hidden inside her car, David admitted on tape to his co-worker that, “Only you and my lawyer know what’s going on and that’s why it’s important for you not to say anything at all and we’ll get through this.” David then began coaching his co-worker on what to tell law enforcement in the event she was questioned.
When Stacie was finally found the next day, her body was badly decomposed. Tattoos helped initially confirm it was Stacie’s body. Some of the evidence the sheriff’s office collected was stained clothing and shoes.
Statements revealed that David’s co-worker was more than just an acquaintance. David and Angela Rovere had dated. The documents said that Angela had recently started pulling away when David “started going into like Ruth Cooper for attempted suicide.” Things deteriorated further when Angela found out David was seeing someone else – Stacie Davis. She accidentally overheard a conversation between Stacie and David. “If you want to be with your ex-girlfriend, that’s your prerogative, but I really want to be with you. You’re going to break my heart,” David told Stacie.
When Angela decided she no longer wanted to see David, he was devastated. He tried to convince Angela that he had broken up with Stacie. When Angela told David she didn’t believe him, he said, “You don’t have to believe me ‘cause it’s going to come out in the news, very soon.” She went on to say, “David, you’ve lost your mind, haven’t you?” He replied, “Yes.”
Stacie and David were classmates at Bishop Verot High School. They were reacquainted while patients in a mental health facility in Punta Gorda. Stacie was there after attempting suicide. After they were released, they became friends. David even offered to let Stacie, who was going through a divorce, move in with him.
On April 28, at 1 a.m., Stacie’s parents tried to keep her from leaving with David to go to downtown bars. It was the last time they saw her alive. Two days later, a missing persons report was filed for Stacie. Almost a week later, police received a solid lead from David’s brother. Brian Baugher told a Sanibel police lieutenant he believed his brother “May have killed a Fort Myers woman.” The information came from an employee of Brian’s who worked with David at Island Outfitters on Captiva. Detectives interviewed her, and she told police David confessed to her about the killing and asked her to help with an alibi.
Detectives interviewed David, who cooperated, but denied any involvement. At one point, David stopped the interview so he could call his brother to tell him he would be late for work. When he returned from making the call, David told detectives he would only be questioned in the presence of his attorney. Once his attorney arrived, he advised David not to make any more statements.
David left the sheriff’s office, but his every move was watched by surveillance teams. On May 11, with a microphone hidden inside her car, David admitted on tape to his co-worker that, “Only you and my lawyer know what’s going on and that’s why it’s important for you not to say anything at all and we’ll get through this.” David then began coaching his co-worker on what to tell law enforcement in the event she was questioned.
When Stacie was finally found the next day, her body was badly decomposed. Tattoos helped initially confirm it was Stacie’s body. Some of the evidence the sheriff’s office collected was stained clothing and shoes.
Statements revealed that David’s co-worker was more than just an acquaintance. David and Angela Rovere had dated. The documents said that Angela had recently started pulling away when David “started going into like Ruth Cooper for attempted suicide.” Things deteriorated further when Angela found out David was seeing someone else – Stacie Davis. She accidentally overheard a conversation between Stacie and David. “If you want to be with your ex-girlfriend, that’s your prerogative, but I really want to be with you. You’re going to break my heart,” David told Stacie.
When Angela decided she no longer wanted to see David, he was devastated. He tried to convince Angela that he had broken up with Stacie. When Angela told David she didn’t believe him, he said, “You don’t have to believe me ‘cause it’s going to come out in the news, very soon.” She went on to say, “David, you’ve lost your mind, haven’t you?” He replied, “Yes.”