WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — A 52-year-old man on Wednesday was sentenced to life in prison after a jury convicted him of killing his daughter's 23-year-old boyfriend in 2021.
Circuit Judge Sarah Willis issued the sentence to Joseph Hamilton, whose address is listed as "at large," after the jury convicted him of first-degree murder of Nicholas Lampp. In Florida, the mandatory minimum sentence is life in person for anyone who discharges a firearm during the attempt or commission of a serious felony and death results.
Last August, Willis had denied Hamilton's request to get the murder charge dropped on the basis of Florida's "stand your ground" statute, which permits deadly force for self-defense.
"This is a young man that got confronted in front of his own home by an angry dad who was not going to take no for an answer," Assistant State Attorney Aleathea McRoberts told Willis during the hearing.
On Feb. 27, 2021, first responders found Lampp unarmed and bleeding in his Royal Palm Beach apartment complex. Lampp, who was walking his dog at the time, died three days later at St. Mary's Medical Center.
Hamilton had told Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office deputies that he confronted Lampp because he was concerned about his daughter's recent behavior, and he feared for his safety during the confrontation.
Hamilton, who fled from the parking lot, was arrested on March 3, 2021, after he was shown surveillance-camera footage and eyewitness testimony tying him to the murder.
Before sentencing, the victim's mother, father, grandmother and cousin gave statements.