Prosecutors said Cole and the three men developed a plan to kidnap and kill the couple to steal their money, and dug a grave for them in Charlton County, Georgia, two days before knocking on their door and asking to use the phone.

Upon being granted entry, Nixon threatened the couple with a fake gun, while Wade, carrying duct tape, bound, gagged, and blindfolded the Sumners.

Wade and Nixon then searched for personal financial documents in the Sumners' home before calling Jackson for assistance in finding ATM information.

While searching the Sumners' home, Wade, Nixon, and Jackson stole Reggie's coin collection, mail, and bank records, as well as several items of jewelry.

Investigators believe that while Nixon returned to the Mazda with Cole, Wade and Jackson remained at the grave and filled it with dirt, after which they drove away, leaving Carol and Reggie Sumner buried alive; a medical examiner found that the couple suffocated to death.

[11][12] Of the previous 14 women[citation needed] ever sentenced to death in Florida since the 1976 Gregg v. Georgia ruling, two were executed (Judy Buenoano in 1998, and Aileen Wuornos in 2002).

[8] In 2017, the Florida Supreme Court ordered new sentencing hearings for Cole, Wade, and Jackson because their juries had not unanimously recommended the death penalty.