Benjamin Wibben from Fort Myers was sentenced Thursday in a Hillsborough County court to life in prison for robbing and killing a Plant City couple who sold cars over the Internet.

Wibben pleaded guilty to two counts of first-degree murder and robbery in the 2005 deaths of Heather and Darren Kaiser. He was sentenced to life in prison without parole and avoided any possibility of the death penalty.

The couple was shot execution-style in the back of their heads. After the murders, Wibben stole a 10 year old sports car and two laptops from the Kaisers. Wibben was arrested about a month later when he tried to register the stolen car.

The victims’ family was allowed to speak at sentencing. Some indicated that they would have preferred the death penalty for Wibben but said they understood that a jury trial could have dragged on, been appealed and perhaps never led to a death sentence.

The Hillsborough County state attorney’s office consulted with the family before accepting the plea deal and agreeing to waive the death penalty recommendation.

The high school dropout with a GED had attended motorcycle mechanics school and enlisted in the Army, but was discharged after a shoulder injury in boot camp. He had previous arrests for traffic violations and burglary, but never for anything violent.

Felonies, Violent Crimes

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