Florida Supreme Court: Death penalty murder trials must stop for now

[DonViejo]

Source: ORLANDO SENTINEL


04 JAN 2017 AT 14:51 ET

ORLANDO, Fla. — The Florida Supreme Court on Wednesday issued a one-paragraph order, telling Florida prosecutors and judges for the second time in three months that the state's death penalty statute is unconstitutional and "cannot be applied to pending prosecutions."

It comes one day after the chief judge for Seminole and Brevard counties, John Galluzzo, assembled a jury pool for a capital murder trial in Sanford.

He had concluded that he could lawfully move forward with the guilt phase of a death penalty trial if he delayed the sentencing phase until after the Florida Legislature rewrites the statute.

Galluzzo's trial came to an abrupt halt after the person pushing him to hold it, State Attorney Phil Archer, reversed course and offered the defendant, 20-year-old Davion Stewart of Altamonte Springs, a plea deal that he accepted: life in prison.

Read more: http://www.rawstory.com/2017/01/florida-supreme-court-death-penalty-murder-trials-must-stop-for-now/

[Judi Lynn]

1. They used to love their electric chair, which sent flames above the head of a prisoner, so much

they gave it its own name: "Big Sparky."

Someone came along and took the fun out of life for Florida conservatives.

With a new sociopath in the White House, they'll be clamoring for the return of their fondest state activity outside tourism.