25 February 2018 :
A Polk County jury is unanimously recommending the death sentence in the case of Benjamin Davis Smiley Jr. (24, Black) for killing 58-year-old Clifford Drake during an April 16, 2013 home invasion. Circuit Court Judge Jalal Harb will take the verdict into consideration when he decides whether or not to impose the death penalty. Both cases went cold until DNA taken from his armed robbery arrest linked Smiley to the crimes.