Supreme Court of Florida

A conviction for first-degree murder and death sentence is affirmed over defendant's claims of error regarding: 1) denial of a motion to suppress evidence and a confession; 2) denial of defense counsel's motion to withdraw; 3) rulings on the admissibility of victim impact evidence; 4) denial of his right to confront a witness pursuant to Crawford; 5) admission of evidence; 6) denial of a motion for mistrial; 7) denial of a motion to disqualify the trial judge; 8) improper weighing of aggravators and mitigators at sentencing; 9) the proportionality of the death sentence; 10) improper allocation of the burden of proof; and 11) the constitutionality of Florida Statutes section 921.141.

Appellate Information

• Decided 04/27/2006
• Published 04/27/2006

Judges

• PER CURIAM.

Court

• Supreme Court of Florida

Counsel

• For Appellant:
  
• James S. Purdy, Public Defender and Christopher S. Quarles, Assistant Public Defender, Seventh Judicial Circuit, Daytona Beach, Florida, for Appellant., Roger W. Yoerges, C. Boyden Gray, Edward C. DuMont, and Edward N. Siskel of Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr, LLP, Washington, D.C., on behalf of MAAP Services for Autism and Asperger Spectrum, Dr. Fred Volkmar and Professor Anthony Bailey, for Amici Curiae.


• For Appellees:
  
• Charles J. Crist, Jr., Attorney General, Tallahassee, Florida and Barbara C. Davis, Assistant Attorney General, Daytona Beach, Florida, for Appellee.