Jason Stephens

Jason Stephens, Robert Sparrow III & a Hot Car Accident

Hyperthermia is a deadly condition that occurs when an individual’s body temperature rises to levels beyond normal due to excessive heat. Basically, the body produces more heat than it dissipates. I was a child the first time I ever heard of such a condition. One of the local community organizations was conducting a training to warn kids and their parents about the dangers of hot cars. I remember thinking that hyperthermia was the same thing as hypothermia. Of course, I quickly realized that hypothermia is the opposite, meaning that it’s a deadly condition when the temperature of an individual drops too fast due to excessive cold.

One could easily be forgiven for getting the two closely worded conditions confused. I digress. The bottom line is that hot car deaths are such a deadly phenomenon for kids that there are all sorts of trainings and public service announcements to prevent them. Unfortunately, such deaths are still very common. Most of the time parents or guardians or those charged with supervision of a child are punished with the weight of the horror of their actions, often coupled with minor charges. Occasionally, more serious charges are pursued depending on the level of negligence. With that said, I have never found a case in which someone has been punished with the death penalty for a hot car death. That is, until now.

Far from his first involvement in criminal activity, Jason Stephenson went to the home of Robert Sparrow, Jr. on June 2, 1997 to buy drugs and was joined by a number of accomplices. The situation escalated quickly. Stephenson proceeded to lead the robbery of everyone in the house, ultimately nine in total. One of the hostages was 3-year-old Robert Sparrow III. Once Stephenson and his accomplices got all that they could, they left in the hostages vehicles, with Stephenson taking a green Kia. In order to keep the hostages from following him, Stephenson took 3-year-old Robert with him and threatened that he would harm the child if they followed him. He told the hostages that he would leave Robert in a safe place. Less than one mile away, Stephenson ditched the car and the child. Over six hours later, the car was found with Robert Sparrow III dead inside. Multiple experts testified that the child died of hyperthermia or hot car death. Though the circumstances were far from being the worst of the worst type of murder or manslaughter, Stephenson was convicted at trial and given the death penalty.

While the circumstances are certainly different than most accidental hot car deaths, Jason Stephenson clearly did not mean to kill Robert Sparrow III. The incident was careless and stupid but not intentional. So, why is Stephenson on death row with people who have mutilated and massacred a whole host of people? Our society recognizes that accidental hot car deaths happen all the time. So, why are we so determined to kill Stephenson? The death penalty is so arbitrary, especially in Florida.

-The Rev. Dr. Jeff Hood