TAMPA - It’s been two years since Steven Lorenzo was sentenced to death for the murders of two Tampa men.
That sentencing in 2023 finally brought some semblance of closure for the families of Jason Galehouse and Michael Wachholtz.
According to the court documents, Lorenzo and an accomplice abducted Galehouse and Wachholtz on separate occasions and tortured and murdered the men.
Those murders took place in December 2003 and in January 2004.
Steven Lorenzo confessed to killing Michael Wachholtz and Jason Galehouse.
Steven Lorenzo murders happened 20 years ago
It took police and prosecutors almost 20 years to get the conviction and sentence imposed on Lorenzo, who is now on death row in Florida State Prison.
Courtesy: Florida Department of Corrections
The backstory:
Law enforcement developed leads in the murders of the two men in May 2004 after Steven Lorenzo and Scott Schweickert were arrested following accusations from other men that the pair were using date rape drugs to incapacitate them and sexually torture them at Lorenzo’s Seminole Heights home.
A forensic team took apart the home seeking evidence of the crimes, even removing the floorboards. That search yielded a treasure trove of evidence, including disturbing videos of victims bound and gagged.
The men were arrested on Federal charges relating to drug use and kidnappings, but then the case slowed to a snail’s pace as both suspects were tried in the Federal Court system.
Previous stories:
- Steven Lorenzo sentenced to death for murders of Jason Galehouse and Michael Waccholtz in 2003
- Steven Lorenzo sentencing: Men who escaped confessed killer recall feeling drugged, being zip-tied
Both Lorenzo and Schweickert were found guilty in 2005 and sentenced for the Federal charges, but that did not include the murders of Galehouse and Wachholtz.
The families and friends of the victims had to wait seven more years until prosecutors finally brought state murder charges against Lorenzo and Schweickert.
They were indicted on two counts of first-degree murder in 2012, and once again the criminal case began to creep through the court system.
Scott Schweickert made a deal to testify against Lorenzo in exchange for a life sentence. His testimony gave prosecutors the information that they needed to take Lorenzo to trial for the two murders.
Courtesy: Florida Department of Corrections
Steven Lorenzo went through several competency hearings as he sought to represent himself for his defense. He then used that position to make different claims in the case that delayed the trial for 10 years.
It all changed in November 2022 when Lorenzo entered court and told the judge that he was tired of fighting the system and wanted to plead "guilty" in the case. In his own handwriting, he wrote to the judge that he wished to enter the plea, be sentenced to death and that he would waive his right to appeal.
He submitted a 147-page handwritten document to the court outlining what happened to both victims in graphic detail.
That document can be seen here.
Almost 20 years since the disappearances and murders of Jason Galehouse and Michael Wachholtz, the man who did it was going to be held responsible.
The judge accepted his guilty plea, and Steven Lorenzo was sentenced to death in February 2023.
Steven Lorenzo cross-examines witnesses during his sentencing hearings
A comprehensive story on the case is here.
What we know:
The death sentence triggered an automatic appeal in the State of Florida legal system. Even though the convicted man, Steven Lorenzo, was acting as his own attorney and made the statements in his own writing having been declared competent in court, the appeal process began.
That appeal ended with the State Supreme Court this summer. In June, the Supreme Court of Florida determined that Steven Lorenzo was found guilty of two counts of first-degree murder and was sentenced to death for those crimes.
They affirmed the convictions and the sentences. The court rejected the appeal based in part on Lorenzo’s own defense, stating that he "knowingly and intelligently waived the right to counsel" and that Lorenzo was competent to represent himself knowing the nature of the proceedings.
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The death sentences being upheld put the case back into Lorenzo’s hands as he remains his own attorney.
In August, he responded to the court and requested the "Dismissal of Post Conviction Proceedings" in the case. Which, in common language, is to stop seeking any appeals in the case. He also sought to terminate the Collateral Counsel assigned to his case.
That is the legal representation that represents death row inmates in the State appeals process. In his case, they were his co-counsel.
Steve Lorenzo letter to court August 5, 2025
What's next:
Lorenzo has been given an October 16 court date to appear before Hillsborough County Judge Michelle Sisco for this "post-conviction relief" hearing.
The Office of the Capitol Regional Counsel was notified of his intent.
The Source: This update on the Steven Lorenzo case was written based on court documents from the original case, his handwritten Pro Se Motion to Dismiss and the Supreme Court of Florida decision upholding his convictions and sentences.