Florida Inmate’s Chilling Reaction to Life Sentence for Pen Murder: ‘You Are Amusing,’ He Tells Judge

A Florida inmate who was convicted of killing his cellmate with a pen laughed in court as a judge sentenced him to life in prison, telling the judge “You are amusing” during the proceedings.

Marcus Terry, 43, was found guilty of second-degree murder in December 2025 for the 2021 killing of his cellmate, Ray Matos, at the Dade Correctional Institution in Homestead. According to court testimony, Terry shoved a pillowcase into Matos’ mouth before stabbing him in the head with a pen, an act the judge described as jamming the pen into Matos’ brain.

During the sentencing hearing, Judge Ellen Sue Venzer detailed the crime, noting that when guards arrived, Terry was standing on top of Matos with blood on his hands. As the judge described the killing, Terry began to smile and laugh. When Judge Venzer questioned his reaction, Terry responded, “You are amusing,” to which the judge replied that she found nothing amusing about his behavior or the death of the victim.

The judge sentenced Terry to life in prison without the possibility of parole, stating, “God have mercy on your soul.” Terry, who was already serving two life sentences for a 2011 armed robbery and burglary case from Broward County, flashed a smile as the sentence was handed down.

Terry’s attorney, Steven Yermish, had requested a new trial, arguing that inadmissible evidence was presented during the December trial, and had also asked for a 25-year sentence based on Terry’s prior psychiatric hospitalization. The judge denied the motion for a new trial and imposed the life sentence.