Duval County: Luther Douglas resentenced to life
On Friday, the State agreed to drop the death penalty. As a result, the Duval County court resentenced Douglas to life in prison without parole.
On January 19, after spending over 20 years on Florida’s death row, Luther Douglas was resentenced to life in prison without parole (LWOP) rather than death.
Background
Luther Douglas was sentenced to death for crimes that occurred in December 1999 following the jury’s recommendation for death by a vote of 11-1.1 On direct appeal, Douglas raised several issues, including an argument that Florida’s capital sentencing procedure was unconstitutional under Ring v. Arizona. In a decision dated May 6, 2004, the Florida Supreme Court denied Douglas’s claims and affirmed his convictions and sentence of death.2 His sentence of death became final on January 10, 2005.
Douglas filed an initial postconviction motion, which the circuit court denied after an evidentiary hearing. Douglas appealed to the Florida Supreme Court and filed a petition for writ of habeas corpus. “The crux of Douglas's [claims was] that trial counsel rendered ineffective assistance in failing to investigate and prepare for the penalty phase, and more specifically, in failing to secure and present to the jury mental health mitigation that existed at the time of trial.”3 The Court denied relief.4
In 2017, the trial court granted Douglas a new penalty phase in light of Hurst v. Florida.5
Resentencing
Douglas’s resentencing was continued several times over the years.
On Friday (January 19, 2024), the State withdrew their Notice of Intent to Seek the Death Penalty. As a result, the Duval County trial court vacated the 2002 judgment and resentenced Douglas to LWOP.
Douglas v. State, 878 So. 2d 1246, 1250 (Fla. 2004).
Id. at 1264.
Douglas v. State, 141 So. 3d 107, 111 (Fla. 2012).
Id. at 130.