Guzman v. State

The Supreme Court affirmed Appellant’s convictions for armed robbery and first-degree murder but vacated his sentence of death and remanded for a new penalty phase.Following a third trial, Appellant was found guilty of both first-degree premeditated murder and first-degree felony murder. The jury recommended death by a vote of eleven to one, and the trial court sentenced Appellant to death in accordance with the jury’s recommendation. On appeal, the Supreme Court held (1) the trial court did not err in denying Appellant’s cause challenges to certain prospective jurors; (2) the trial court did not err when it allowed the State’s peremptory strike of a minority juror; (3) the trial court did not abuse its discretion in denying Appellant’s motion to strike the jury panel; (4) competent, substantial evidence supported Appellant’s convictions; but (5) Appellant was entitled to relief under Hurst v. State, 202 So. 3d 40 (Fla. 2016) because the jury did not unanimously recommend a sentence of death and the error was not harmless. View "Guzman v. State" on Justia Law