Florida Abortion Refusal Ends In Death Row Shocker

Abortion highlighted in a dictionary with a pink marker.

A Florida man has been sentenced to death for murdering his pregnant girlfriend after she refused to have an abortion, a case that starkly exposes the deadly consequences of reproductive coercion and the urgent need to protect innocent life.

Story Snapshot

Donovan L. Faison, 23, was sentenced to death in Seminole County, Florida, for the 2022 murder of his 18-year-old pregnant girlfriend, Kaylin Fiengo.
Prosecutors proved Faison killed Fiengo because she refused to terminate her pregnancy, using text messages and testimony to show his rage and premeditation.
The jury convicted Faison of first-degree murder, killing an unborn child, and burglary with a firearm, then recommended death by an 11–1 vote.
Judge Donna Goerner formally imposed the death sentence on December 5, 2025, plus life without parole on the burglary count.
This case highlights Florida’s fetal homicide law and its updated death-penalty standard, sending a strong message that intimate partner violence and attacks on unborn children will be met with the full force of justice.

Conviction and Death Sentence for Abortion-Refusal Murder

On December 5, 2025, Seminole County Circuit Judge Donna Goerner sentenced Donovan L. Faison, 23, to death for the first-degree murder of his 18-year-old pregnant girlfriend, Kaylin Fiengo. Faison was also sentenced to life in prison without parole for burglary with a firearm. The case stems from November 11, 2022, when Sanford police found Fiengo shot in the head inside her Nissan Versa at Coastline Park in Sanford, Florida. An ultrasound image and a shell casing were discovered near her body, confirming she was about three months pregnant. A Seminole County jury had already convicted Faison of first-degree murder, killing an unborn child, and burglary with a firearm after only about two hours of deliberation on October 27, 2025.

Clear Motive: Murder Over Abortion Refusal

Prosecutors established that Faison’s motive was Fiengo’s refusal to have an abortion. Text messages showed Fiengo sending Faison photos of two positive pregnancy tests, to which he responded “Abortion!!!” and accused her of lying. Later, he texted a friend, “On my brothers grave, I’m gonna crop her out,” which prosecutors presented as evidence of pre-homicide intent. Faison was living with another woman who suspected him of cheating, and prosecutors argued he felt pressure and anger over the pregnancy, leading him to demand an abortion. When Fiengo refused, that refusal became the trigger for the killing. Assistant State Attorney Stewart Stone described the murder as “cold, calculated, premeditated” and “execution-style,” noting Faison lured Fiengo to a remote park and shot her at close range in her car.

Florida’s fetal homicide statute allowed prosecutors to charge Faison separately with “killing an unborn child,” recognizing the unborn son as a distinct victim. This dual-victim framing underscores the state’s legal protection of unborn life and sends a powerful signal that violence against pregnant women and their children will be treated with the utmost seriousness. The victim’s family, including her mother Sarah Schweickert, father, aunt Tatiana Fiengo, and grandmother, delivered emotional impact statements during the penalty phase, describing the unrelenting grief and loss caused by Faison’s actions.

Justice Served Under Florida’s Updated Death-Penalty Law

The jury’s 11–1 recommendation of death was made under Florida’s 2023 death-penalty reform, which allows a death sentence when at least eight of twelve jurors agree, rather than requiring unanimity. This lower threshold enabled the jury to recommend death despite one holdout, and Judge Goerner imposed the sentence after weighing aggravating and mitigating factors. Faison’s relatives testified in mitigation, asking the jury to spare his life and impose life without parole, but the overwhelming evidence of premeditation and the heinous nature of the crime led to the death recommendation. Faison is now a death-row inmate, with future appeals likely to focus on the non-unanimous jury standard and the application of aggravating factors.