Kocaker v. State

After a jury trial, Defendant was convicted of first-degree murder. The jury recommended a death sentence. Following a Spencer hearing, the trial court sentenced Defendant to death upon determining that the State had proven beyond a reasonable doubt the existence of several statutory aggravators. The Supreme Court affirmed the conviction and sentence, holding (1) the evidence presented at trial was sufficient to support the first-degree murder conviction; (2) under the totality of the circumstances, the death sentence in this case was proportionate; (3) Florida's protocol for execution by lethal injection is constitutional; and (4) Florida's capital sentencing process is constitutional. View "Kocaker v. State" on Justia Law