TALLAHASSEE - Gov. Rick Scott issued a death warrant March 1 for the killer of a 10-year-old Palm Harbor girl.
Larry Eugene Mann, 59, was found guilty March 19, 1981 on one count of first-degree murder and one count of kidnapping in connection with the Nov. 4, 1980 murder of Elisa Nelson. He received his first death sentence on March 21 of that year.
After denials of several appeals and issuance of two additional death sentences, Scott announced he would not grant clemency in the case and signed the warrant for Mann’s execution.
Mann is scheduled to be put to death at 6 p.m. Wednesday, April 10.
According to arrest records, Elisa was riding her bicycle to school when she was kidnapped by Mann. She had a dentist appointment that day and was late to school. When she didn’t show up for school, a search was started. Her bicycle was found later that day in a ditch about a mile away from the school.
Her body was found the next day in an orange grove. Cause of death was a blow to the head by a cement-encased steel pipe found next to her body. There were no signs of molestation, according to the Medical Examiner.
Records show that Mann attempted suicide that same day and told police who responded that he had “done something stupid and needed help.”
Mann’s wife found a bloodstained note that Elisa’s mom had written to excuse from being late to school in her husband’s truck on Nov. 8, 1980. Law enforcement also found a bloodstain with Elisa and Mann’s blood types in the truck. Mann was arrested on Nov. 10, 1980.
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