MORGAN AMANDA LEPPERT, APPELLANT,
v.
STATE OF FLORIDA, APPELLEE.
AI-generated. These summaries, headnotes, and key points are machine-generated and may contain errors or omissions. Always verify against the full opinion text below. Not legal advice.
The Florida Supreme Court reversed its prior affirmance of Morgan Leppert's first-degree murder conviction, holding that Alleyne v. United States requires a jury—not the trial court—to find whether a juvenile offender actually killed, intended to kill, or attempted to kill the victim under Florida's sentencing statute. The court affirmed three other issues on direct appeal but reversed and remanded for resentencing on the murder conviction.
Yes, the Florida Supreme Court held that Alleyne requires the jury to make the factual finding under section 775.082(1)(b). Because the jury verdict form did not require the jury to specify which murder theory it used, there was no clear jury finding on this issue, the error was not harmless, and the proper remedy is to reverse the sentence and remand for resentencing.
[1] Under Florida law, the jury, not the trial court, must make the factual finding as to whether a juvenile offender actually killed, intended to kill, or attempted to kill…
[2] A jury verdict form that does not require the jury to specify the theory of first-degree murder under which it finds the defendant guilty may constitute reversible error…
Previewing 2 of 4 headnotes on this case. FLexlaw’s editorially structured points of law — every proposition, pinpointed — are reserved for members.
Join FLexlaw to unlock all legal intelligence“Alleyne requires the jury to make the factual finding under section 775.082(1)(b) as to whether a juvenile offender actually killed, intended to kill, or attempted to kill the victim.”
The Florida Supreme Court's holding establishing that jury, not trial court, must make the finding regarding whether the defendant killed or attempted to kill the victim.
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Join FLexlaw to unlock all legal intelligenceMorgan Amanda Leppert was convicted of first-degree murder, burglary with assault or battery, and robbery with a deadly weapon. The jury was instructe…
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Pursuant to the Florida Supreme Court's directive in Leppert v. State, 43 Fla. L. Weekly S267, S267 (Fla. June 15, 2018), we withdraw the mandate issued in *1323this case on May 11, 2017, and our previously issued opinion.
Morgan Amanda Leppert was convicted of first-degree murder, burglary with assault or battery, and robbery with a deadly weapon. Leppert raised four issues in the direct appeal of her judgment and sentence, which we affirmed in Leppert v. State, 215 So.3d 146, 147 (Fla. 5th DCA 2017). In her second issue, Leppert argued that the trial court erred in not having a jury determine whether she killed, intended to kill, or attempted to kill the victim. Based upon our precedent in Williams v. State, 211 So.3d 1070, 1073 (Fla. 5th DCA 2017), we held that the trial court did not err in making the written finding required by section 775.082(1)(b), Florida Statutes (2016). In both cases, we certified a question to the Florida Supreme Court as to whether Alleyne v. United States, 570 U.S. 99, 133 S.Ct. 2151, 186 L.Ed.2d 314 (2013), required the jury rather than the trial court to make this finding.
The Florida Supreme Court recently answered this question and held that " Alleyne requires the jury to make the factual finding under section 775.082(1)(b) as to whether a juvenile offender actually killed, intended to kill, or attempted to kill the victim." Williams v. State, 242 So.3d 280, 294 (Fla. 2018). The court therefore quashed our decisions in Williams and Leppert and remanded the cases for reconsideration. Id.; Leppert, 43 Fla. L. Weekly at S267. The three issues raised by Leppert in her direct appeal that were not related to Williams were not affected by the Florida Supreme Court's determination. Therefore, as to these issues, we affirm without further discussion.
In the case at hand, the jury was instructed on first-degree premeditated murder and first-degree felony murder with burglary or robbery as the underlying felony. The verdict form did not require the jury to specify under which theory it found Leppert guilty. Based upon a similar fact pattern, the Florida Supreme Court determined in Williams that there was no clear jury finding that the defendant actually killed, intended to kill, or attempted to kill the victim and that the error was not harmless. 242 So.3d at 289, 291. The court further held that "[w]here the error cannot be deemed harmless, the proper remedy is to resentence the juvenile offender pursuant to section 775.082(1)(b) 2., Florida Statutes (2016)." Id. at 282. Because we conclude that the error was not harmless, we reverse the sentence imposed for the murder conviction and remand for Leppert to be resentenced on that charge pursuant to section 775.082(1)(b) 2.
AFFIRMED in part; REVERSED in part; REMANDED.
SAWAYA, BERGER and WALLIS, JJ., concur.
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Citator
Authorities Cited
- Alleyne v. United States, 570 U.S. 99 (U.S. 2013)
- Rodrick D. Williams v. State, 242 So. 3d 280 (Fla. 2018)
- Williams v. State, 211 So. 3d 1070 (Fla. 5th DCA 2017)
- Morgan Amanda Leppert v. State, 215 So. 3d 146 (Fla. 5th DCA 2017)