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Murder Victim's Family Shares Its Pain At Sentencing Hearing

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By MIKE WELLS | The Tampa Tribune

Published: January 3, 2008

TAMPA - TAMPA - Anguished words from a murder victim's family came to a Hillsborough County courtroom on Thursday from the Middle East.

A shackled Gregory Everett McCray, 51, listened during his sentencing hearing as a prosecutor read aloud a letter written by David Yahya Kiswani's widow.

Khaleda Kiswani lamented that her husband's murder on July 20, 2004, fragmented a family that feels forgotten.

"Tell that monster he ruined five people's lives," Assistant State Attorney Jay Pruner read. " … We don't have a family … he destroyed it."

David Kisawani was 39 and a father of four. He worked as a clerk at a Chevron gas station at 802 E. Dr. Martin Luther King Blvd., where McCray jumped over the counter and attacked him.

The victim's widow returned to their native country of Jordan with their daughters more than a year after the slaying. Their son remains in the United States, living with an uncle.

Khaleda Kiswani wrote that what hurt her most was not being able to attend the sentencing. She was unable to obtain a visa, Pruner said.

McCray, who records show once stabbed a storekeeper so hard he broke a bone in the man's jaw, told investigators that he was high on crack cocaine and panicked because he thought Kiswani had triggered an alarm.

McCray realized he could not open the register and left, leaving behind his fingerprints and driver's license. He stole a newspaper deliveryman's van on the way out.

He was arrested 24 hours later sitting in a vehicle in the Salvation Army facility's parking lot on Florida Avenue. A police officer approached and he surrendered.

On Nov. 30, 2006, McCray pleaded guilty to first-degree murder, armed robbery and carjacking, avoiding a death sentence.

The defendant spoke briefly to the court after Pruner finished reading the letter, acknowledging the pain the victim's family felt and saying "my family has suffered also." His head hung low as he offered his condolences.

Circuit Judge Manuel Lopez sentenced McCray to two consecutive life sentences plus 30 years. He also accepted a separate guilty plea concerning cocaine possession and sentenced McCray to time served on that charge.

Reporter Valerie Kalfrin contributed to this report. Reporter Mike Wells can be reached at (813) 259-7839 or mwells@tampatrib.com.

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