Duval County: Life verdict for Cecil King

Last week, after deliberating for 5 hours, the jury returned a recommendation that King be resentenced to life in prison without parole.

This week, a Duval County jury recommended that Cecil King be resentenced to life in prison rather than death.

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Background

Cecil King was originally convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to death following trial in 2011, where the jury recommended death by a vote of 8-4.¹ The crimes underlying his conviction occurred in late 2009 and early 2010. On direct appeal, in 2013, the Florida Supreme Court affirmed his conviction and sentence of death.²

After Hurst,³ based on the jury’s nonunanimous recommendation for death, King was granted a new penalty phase.⁴

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Resentencing

Jury selection for King’s resentencing began on February 26, 2024. The new penalty phase began on March 1. The jury was sent out for deliberations on the afternoon of March 7.

After deliberating for 5 hours, the jury returned a recommendation that King be resentenced to life in prison without parole.

Under the 2023 statute, because the jury recommended a sentence of LWOP, the judge must sentence King to LWOP and cannot override the jury’s recommendation.

Accordingly, following the jury’s verdict, the trial court entered a judgment sentencing King to LWOP.

1. King v. State, 130 So. 3d 676, 682 (Fla. 2013).

2. See generally id. Notably, on direct appeal, King challenged his sentence of death, arguing that his sentence was unconstitutional based on Ring v. Arizona—the precursor to Hurst.

3. For a full explanation of Hurst, see the five-part TFDP series available here.

4. King v. State, 260 So. 3d 985 (Fla. 2018)