Winter Haven man gets 40 years in prison for 2014 slaying of mother

BARTOW — A 38-year-old man Winter Haven man with a history of mental problems was sentenced to 40 years in prison Thursday for fatally stabbing his mother in 2014.

Micah Lee Hobbs had faced the death penalty, but prosecutors and Hobbs’ attorney, Howardene Garrett, worked out a deal before the scheduled trial on April 18.

Family members were against the death penalty for Hobbs.

Brian Haas, a spokesman with the State Attorney’s Office, said prosecutors learned more about Hobbs’ condition as the case progressed.

“We were confident that the defendant’s claim of being insane at the time of committing the murder would not hold up,” Haas said. “However, given the defendant’s history of mental health issues, we determined that a death sentence in this case would be difficult to obtain and defend on appeal.”

Circuit Judge Jalal Harb sentenced Hobbs to 40 years for a reduced second-degree murder charge.

Garrett had wanted Hobbs, who had been taken into custody 14 times under Florida’s Baker Act, committed to a mental health center. She had previously argued that he was not guilty by reason of insanity and said Hobbs would have likely been committed indefinitely.

Experts from the prosecution disagreed.

Reports indicate that the day before her killing, Eva Marie Hobbs was concerned about her son’s behavior and attempted to have him held involuntarily for psychological evaluation.

After the March 9, 2014, stabbing, Hobbs was found about 4 a.m. laughing on a road close to the home he shared with his mother. Police said he repeatedly stabbed his mother as she lay in her bed. An11-inch kitchen knife was found near her body.

Witnesses told investigators that Hobbs was confused, was hearing things, and had wandered away before the killing.