Lords of Chaos (criminal group)

In 2018, the Florida Supreme Court denied Foster's appeal. He remains on death row at Union Correctional Institution as of 2019.

In 2017, Foster sought to have his death penalty removed based on a 2017 law signed by Florida Governor Rick Scott that required a unanimous jury verdict to recommend a death sentence. The jury in Foster's case voted 9–3 in favor of a death sentence.

It was mentioned in Criminal Minds Season 3 Episode 12 3rd Life

In 2011 in Lee County, Florida, Foster sought a new trial or a new penalty phase based on a theory of inadequate representation, claiming counsel at the time of trial had not made a sufficient presentation on the issue of mental defects. The court denied relief.

In 2010 Shields requested clemency and was supported by former Lee County Sheriff, John McDougall, the sheriff who had arrested him. McDougall pointed out that Shields had been under duress at the time of the murder. Shields pointed out that he was not the trigger-man. The request was denied.

In 2000, Foster's case reached the Florida Supreme Court, and his appeal was denied.

Foster and his mother were later convicted of conspiracy to murder, planning retaliation murders against the members of the Lords of Chaos who testified against him in the original trial. They were charged with the crime in 2000 after having approached author Jim Greenhill for help in the plan. Instead, Greenhill reported it to the police. His mother was given five years in prison, and he was given an additional sentence concurrent with his death penalty.

Jury selection for the trial began on March 3, 1998, presided over by Judge Isaac Anderson. During the trial, Foster's mother testified that he was at home during the murder of Mark Schweppes, but one by one, the members of the Lords of Chaos took the stand and stated that not only had Foster been there, but he had also been the ringleader of the plot.

On March 11, closing arguments were given, and the jury retired to deliberate. After 2 hours and 16 minutes, the jury reached a verdict of guilty. On April 9, 1998, the penalty phase of the trial began. The jury would have to decide if Foster should receive the death penalty or if they should be lenient and recommend life imprisonment without the possibility of parole. The jury recommended the death penalty by a vote of 9 to 3. On June 17, 1998, Judge Anderson agreed with the jury's recommendation and sentenced Foster to death.

Brad Young and Craig Lesh were quickly released, with no charges filed against them. Chris Burnett worked out a deal with prosecutors whereby he would plead guilty to second-degree arson and armed robbery and serve two years in jail, receive ten years' probation and turn state's evidence against the Lords of Chaos. Tom Torrone also turned state evidence, being allowed to plead no contest to second-degree arson and serve one year in jail with ten years probation. In March 1997, Magnotti pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit first-degree murder and was sentenced to 32 years—one for each year of Mark Schwebes's life—and agreed to testify. Two weeks before his trial began, Shields pleaded guilty to first-degree murder, followed in October by Black. Both received life imprisonment. Only Kevin Foster went to trial.

The Lords of Chaos was a self-styled teen militia formed on April 13, 1996, in Fort Myers, Florida, United States. It was led by Kevin Donald Foster (born Kevin Donald Bates; June 16, 1977). The group gained notoriety for a crime spree that ended on April 30, 1996, with the murder of one of the boys' teachers, Mark Schwebes, the Riverdale High School's band director.

On April 12, 1996, in Fort Myers, Florida, Kevin Foster, Pete Magnotti, and Chris Black went on a vandalism and arson spree. Florida juvenile records show that only the group's ringleader, Kevin Foster, had any prior arrests or criminal history, and his record primarily consisted of driving violations. The first spree was quickly followed by a second that included an attempt to burn a church bus and the burning of a bird cage containing two macaws, killing one.

In the early morning hours of April 20, 1996, the group escalated their terror campaign by destroying a historic 12,300-square-foot (1,140 m) two-story brick Coca-Cola bottling plant in Fort Myers. Foster's original plan had been to destroy the building on April 19 to emulate the Oklahoma City bombing, which had occurred on that date the year before. Like Timothy McVeigh, he saw his actions as a retaliation against the government for the Waco Siege, which had occurred on April 19, 1993.