Derrick Thompson entered pleas of not guilty Monday to charges he killed and robbed Steven and Debra Zackowski.
He was led from the courtroom, though, without having been informed whether State Attorney Bill Eddins’ office intended to pursue the death penalty against him.
Eddins said in September he planned to make the death penalty call sometime before Thompson’s Monday arraignment.
He gave no specific reason afterward for delaying the decision, but did say a committee of seasoned prosecutors had met once to debate the death penalty issue and would meet again in the next couple of days.
“I suspect a final decision will be made in the next week or two,” he said.
The fact that the Zackowskis were killed together at close to the same time gives prosecutors “a significant aggravating factor” to look at when considering whether to pursue the death penalty, Eddins said.
Thompson has been charged with three murders in all.
The Zackowski’s were killed on July 19 at their home on Goliath Road near Milton and two days later former law enforcement officer Allen Johnson was found dead at his home in Panama City.
Prosecutors in the 14th Judicial Circuit have said they will seek to have Thompson put to death for the Panama City killing.
Thompson stole money from his victims, which he used to buy drugs, authorities have said.
Eddins said he anticipates it will be at least one and possibly two years before the Thompson case comes to trial.
There are many witnesses to interview and evidence from three crime scenes to sift through, he said.
The third crime scene was created when Thompson was arrested at a hunting camp near Opp, Ala.
This article originally appeared on Santa Rosa Press Gazette: Thompson to face death penalty in Milton murders