Supreme Court of Florida

Convictions of first-degree murder, kidnapping, and sexual battery with great force, and a resulting death sentence, are affirmed over claims of error regarding: 1) a grant of a challenge for cause to a potential juror over defense objection; 2) admission of a statement by the victim while she was being strangled; 3) allowing the state to proceed on a robbery count charged by information rather than indictment; 4) improper cross-examination of the defendant; 5) sufficiency of the evidence of kidnapping, sexual battery, and felony murder; 6) proportionality of the death sentence; 7) imposition of a death sentence after the defendant rejected a plea bargain for a sentence of life imprisonment; 8) application of the heinous, atrocious, or cruel (HAC) aggravator; and 9) the constitutionality of Florida's capital sentencing laws and procedures.

Appellate Information

• Decided 07/05/2007
• Published 07/05/2007

Judges

• PER CURIAM.

Court

• Supreme Court of Florida

Counsel

• For Appellant:
  
• Carey Haughwout, Public Defender, and Cary Lee Caldwell, Assistant Public Defender, Fifteenth Judicial Circuit, West Palm Beach, FL, for Appellant.


• For Appellees:
  
• Bill McCollum, Attorney General, Tallahassee, Florida, Leslie T. Campbell and Debra Rescigno, Assistant Attorneys General, West Palm Beach, FL, for Appellee.