Florida Supreme Court affirms Michael Jones' death sentence
On Thursday, as part of its regular release of opinions, the Florida Supreme Court affirmed Michael W. Jones' sentence of death of direct appeal.
On Thursday, as part of its regular release of opinions, the Florida Supreme Court affirmed Michael Wayne Jones’ sentence of death of direct appeal.
Justice Grosshans authored the decision.
Jones pled guilty to four counts of first-degree murder and one count of second-degree murder for murdering his wife and four young children in 2019. At the penalty phase, “the defense argued that Jones killed the children due to a psychotic episode.” After the penalty phase, “the jury recommended sentences of death for the four first-degree murder counts.”
On direct appeal, Jones raised three claims: (1) “that the trial court’s refusal to supplement the standard jury instruction on the avoid-arrest aggravator was improper,” (2) “that Florida’s capital sentencing scheme unconstitutionally permits the arbitrary imposition of death sentences,” and (3) “that the death penalty violates the Eighth Amendment in light of evolving standards of decency.”
On the first issue, the Court “disagree[d] [with Jones] and [found]the instruction adequately encompassed Jones’s theory of defense.” While the Court agreed with Jones that the instruction he requested “had additional language not contained int eh standard instruction,” the Court held “that the trial court did not abuse its discretion in declining to give the instruction Jones requested.” Further, the Court determined that “even if Jones succeeded in showing an abuse of discretion, any instructional flaw would be harmless beyond a reasonable doubt.”
Second, the Court rejected Jones’ argument in two paragraphs, writing: “We have repeatedly rejected this argument and others like it. . . . Jones has given us no reason to revisit this precedent, nor has he established any constitutional defect in Florida’s death-penalty statute. Accordingly, he is not entitled to relief.”
On Jones’ final claim, the Court did the same, writing: “We have consistently held that Florida’s death-penalty scheme satisfies both the state and federal constitutions. The mere fact that other states may have shifted in their penological objectives does not render Florida’s death penalty unconstitutional. Jones is not entitled to relief as to this claim.”1
Further, the Court determined that Jones’ “guilty plea was knowingly, intelligently, and voluntarily entered.”
Justice Labarga concurred in result only based on his disagreement with the Court no longer conducting proportionality review on direct appeal.
The full decision can be downloaded from the Court’s website here.
(Citations omitted.)