Trout: A True Story of Murder, Teens, and the Death Penalty

Orlando Sentinel reporter Kunerth’s pedestrian account of the brutal murder of a Florida auto parts clerk at the hands of three teenage boys in Florida does little to illuminate the debate on youths and the death penalty. On January 26, 1991, in Pensacola, Fla., Patrick Bonifay, 17, Eddie Fordham, 18, and Cliff Barth, 17, drove to Trout Auto Parts, allegedly to kill the manager for firing Patrick’s step-cousin, Robin Lee Archer, and to clean out the store’s safe. But Patrick shot the wrong man, a clerk in the store. A deeply troubled kid with a family history of abuse, Patrick hoped the money from the robbery/murder would allow him to start a new life elsewhere. Instead, after Patrick confessed to a friend, he and the other boys, as well as Archer, were arrested and charged with first-degree murder. Kunerth attempts to make the various trials suspenseful but guilty verdicts were a foregone conclusion, leaving sentencing as the only question mark. Florida has no minimum age for the death penalty, and Patrick and Robin were sentenced to die, while Eddie and Cliff received life sentences. Examining other cases of youth crime and the idea of “adult time for adult crimes,” Kunerth barely scratches the surfaces of a fascinating and volatile topic. Photos. (Apr.)