A quiet evening for a New Jersey couple wintering in Florida was shattered in a burst of unimaginable violence on December 20, 1989. Robert Sturmfels, a 56-year-old male, and his wife, Georgette, 55, were relaxing in their Palm Coast home, having escaped the northern cold for the milder climate of the Sunshine State. They were unaware that a man was circling their house, peering through the windows, his mind set on a night of random terror and violence.
Inside, Robert was sitting in a
recliner and Georgette was on the sofa. The man outside, Louis Bernard Gaskin, raised a.22-caliber rifle and fired through a window, striking Robert multiple times. As Georgette tried to flee, Gaskin shot her as well. Not content with the horror he had already inflicted, Gaskin broke into the home, shooting both Robert and Georgette again in the head to ensure they were dead. The attack was brutal, senseless, and terrifyingly random.
Gaskin’s rampage did not end with the Sturmfels. After murdering the couple, he stole several items from their home, including a clock, two lamps, and a videocassette recorder, which he intended to give to his girlfriend as Christmas presents. He then drove to the nearby home of Joseph and Mary Rector. As the Rectors watched television, Gaskin fired into their house, wounding Joseph. The couple managed to escape and drive to a hospital as Gaskin fired at their departing car.
The investigation into the violent crime spree quickly led police to Louis Gaskin. He was arrested ten days later, on December 30, 1989. A relative of Gaskin's girlfriend had contacted authorities after Gaskin bragged about the crimes. During a search of Gaskin's home, investigators found the items stolen from the Sturmfels' residence. Gaskin confessed to the murders, telling a psychologist before his trial that he knew what he was doing. "The guilt was always there," he reportedly said. "The devil had more of a hold than God did. I knew that I was wrong. I wasn't insane." His choice of all-black attire during the attacks earned him the moniker "The Ninja Killer."
In July 1990, Gaskin was convicted of two counts of first-degree murder for the deaths of Robert and Georgette Sturmfels. He also received convictions for armed robbery, armed burglary, and the attempted murder of Joseph Rector. The jury recommended the death penalty, and the judge imposed the sentence. Gaskin was also a suspect in other crimes, including the 1986 murder of Charles Martin Miller.
For more than three decades, Louis Gaskin remained on Florida's death row, filing numerous unsuccessful appeals. Finally, on April 12, 2023, more than 33 years after he ended the lives of Robert and Georgette Sturmfels, Gaskin was executed by lethal injection at the Florida State Prison. He was 56 years old, the same age as Robert when he was killed. No relatives of the Sturmfels family were present to witness the execution.
The case of Robert Sturmfels is a chilling reminder of the devastating impact of random, motiveless violence. A couple enjoying their winter retreat had their lives stolen in an act of pure malice. While the legal system ultimately held their killer accountable, the passage of time can never erase the profound loss and the senselessness of that December night. One of the surviving victims of Gaskin's attacks later said that the execution did not bring a sense of favor, but instead "only stirred up painful memories and has victimized me again."
