Florida Man Sentenced to Life in Prison for Cellmate’s Murder

A man from Florida, convicted of murdering his cellmate with a pen, was seen grinning and laughing as he received a life sentence in court on Tuesday.

Marcus Terry, 43, was found guilty of second-degree murder back in December 2025. He stabbed 64-year-old Ray Matos in the head with a pen in 2021 at the Dade Correctional Facility located in Homestead, as reported by NBC Miami.

During the recent hearing, Terry’s attorney, Stephen Amish, requested Judge Ellen Sue Venzer to allow a new trial. He claimed there was inadmissible evidence presented during last year’s trial, according to the news outlet.

Judge Venzer went over the details of the crime, explaining how Terry fatally stabbed Matos and noted that he had shoved a pillowcase into his mouth. When the guards arrived, they found Terry standing over Matos, his hands stained with blood.

As the judge recounted these events, remarkably, Terry started smiling. “I don’t know why you’re laughing,” Venzer remarked, to which Terry casually replied, “You’re funny.”

The judge was not amused, stating, “I found nothing interesting in your actions or in the death of this gentleman.” As she finalized the sentence, she said, “God have mercy on your soul,” confirming Terry’s life imprisonment without the chance of parole.

Reports indicate that Terry might consider appealing this ruling in the future.

Interestingly, just days after Matos’s death, Terry was already serving another life sentence for armed robbery.

In a chilling detail, Matos was discovered on the floor of his cell in a pool of blood, while Terry sat on a lower bunk nearby.