Brothers Donte and Dante Could Become First Twins on Death Row

Sept. 4, 2009 — -- Identical twin brothers Donte and Dante Hall have more in common than their genetics.

Both could end up on Florida's death row for a crime state prosecutors believe the brothers, now 25, committed together.

Donte Hall was convicted earlier this year for fatally shooting two men at a central Florida house party in September 2006.

As for Dante Hall, the third attempt to determine whether he acted alongside his twin during the double-murder ended today in another mistrial.

According to Donte's defense attorney, Edwin Mills, his client went to the house in Eustis, Fla., after his girlfriend called to tell him that there were valuables inside.

"[His girlfriend] was in the house around midnight ... and is on her cell phone talking to Donte and telling him who has gold and where everyone is in the house," Mills said. "There was some discussion of a stash of money or drugs in the house, too."

Donte soon after showed up at the house with an AK-47 rifle, later killing Anthony Bernard Blunt, 35, and Kison "Little Mule" Evans, 32.

And, while Donte has already been convicted of the crime -- a jury voted eight-four in favor of the death penalty, a recommendation that the judge will consider before sentencing him -- his twin brother has yet to face a jury verdict.

Lawyers for twin brother Dante must now prove that their client was not involved in the double murder that was carried out by Donte and, allegedly, his brother.

Florida Twins Familiar With the Law

"From our position, he was not there," said John Spivey, who, alongside fellow attorney Michael Graves, is representing Dante.

The state district attorney's office did not immediately return calls made by ABCNews.com.

While Spivey admits that his client, Dante Hall, has been in trouble with the law in the past -- he is a convicted drug dealer -- the attorney asserts that it is his twin brother who is responsible for the 2006 murders.

"Donte is the evil brother," Spivey said. "Not Dante.

"Donte has always been the aggressive one, the thug, he's the one that has the crew that he puts together to rob and pillage and carry AK-47s and our client is mellow."

Spivey said Dante was "disappointed" about the mistrial today and continues to say he loves his brother.

"He says he loves Donte but then says, 'We were in the womb together, yes, but he's gone one way, he's a thug,'" Spivey said.

Dante is being held in the Lake County Jail and Donte is in the Seminole County Jail north of Orlando. Dante's new trial is not likely to start before the summer of next year, Spivey said.

Florida Twins Would Apparently Be a First for Death Row

Should the Hall brothers be convicted and sentenced to death, Richard Dieter, the executive director of the Death Penalty Information Center in Washington D.C., said it would likely be the first time a set of twins would sit on death row.

"I've been doing this for 20 years and I haven't encountered anything like this before," Dieter said. "I know of brothers who have been on death row and fathers and sons but twins ... no."

"It's highly unusual," he said.

Dante's lawyer, Spivey, said that he believes his client is having a harder time proving his innocence because he is a twin.

"It's a much harder case because he's a twin," Spivey said. "His whole life, he's been pulled into his brother's cases because they look alike."

Spivey said that on more than one occasion Dante has been mistaken for Donte by authorities, and it wasn't until Donte got a distinguishing tattoo on his neck that reads "Money ain't no thang" that cops finally began telling them apart.

"His brother has chosen a violent, armed, gang life," Spivey said. "Dante has not."