VOLUSIA COUNTY, FL — The community is reeling with heartbreak and outrage after 18-year-old Kaylin Fiengo and her unborn child were tragically killed in what prosecutors described as an “execution-style” murder. On Monday, jurors voted 11-1 to recommend the death penalty for 23-year-old Donovan Faison, who was convicted of first-degree murder, killing of an unborn child, and burglary.
According to testimony and evidence presented in court, Fiengo had recently told Faison she was pregnant, sending him a photograph of two positive pregnancy tests. Instead of responding with support, Faison accused her of lying and texted her the word “Abortion!!!”
Prosecutors said Faison had been living with another woman at the time and feared the pregnancy would expose his infidelity. In text messages revealed during trial, he expressed frustration and anger — including telling someone, “On my brother’s grave, I’m gonna crop her out.”
Shortly afterward, on the night of the killing, Faison arranged to meet Kaylin at Coastline Park. There, prosecutors say he shot her in the head, leaving her and the unborn child in her vehicle. Investigators later found a bullet casing and an ultrasound photo left behind at the crime scene — a haunting reminder of the life that had only just begun.
Kaylin, remembered by loved ones as sweet, hopeful, and full of dreams for her future, was just beginning adulthood. Her family has described her loss as “unimaginable,” emphasizing that she was excited about becoming a mother and wanted to raise her child with love.
“This was cold, calculated, premeditated,” prosecutor Stewart Stone told jurors. “This was an execution-style killing carried out to eliminate responsibility.”
Faison was arrested 10 months later and charged. After finding him guilty, the jury’s death penalty recommendation will now go to the sentencing judge, who will make the final ruling on December 5.
Community members and advocates for domestic violence awareness say Kaylin’s story highlights a devastating reality: violence against women often increases during pregnancy, especially when partners feel loss of control.
Kaylin’s family is planning memorial events in her honor and has asked the public to remember her not for how her life ended, but for her kindness, her laughter, and the child she loved even before meeting.
Kaylin Fiengo was 18. She should have had her whole life ahead.