LENARD JAMES PHILMORE, APPELLANT,
v.
STATE OF FLORIDA, APPELLEE

Fla. | 2018-01-25
No. SC17-711
LABARGA, C.J., and PARIENTE and LEWIS, JJ., concur., CANADY and POLSTON, JJ., concur in result., LAWSON, J., concurs specially with an opinion. ., QUINCE, J., dissents with an opinion.
234 So. 3d 567 Florida Supreme Court (2018) Positive Treatment
Cited by 3 cases

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.

Synopsis

Lenard Philmore, a death row inmate whose sentence became final in 2002, sought postconviction relief arguing that the Supreme Court's decision in Hurst v. Florida rendered his death sentence unconstitutional. The Florida Supreme Court affirmed the denial of relief, finding that any Hurst error was harmless beyond a reasonable doubt because the jury unanimously recommended death.


Holding

Any Hurst error in Philmore's case is harmless beyond a reasonable doubt based on the jury's unanimous recommendation for death, Philmore's confession, and the significant aggravation in the case. Philmore is not entitled to relief on his due process and Eighth Amendment claims because the unanimous jury recommendation renders any Hurst error harmless. Philmore cannot relitigate his Batson claim because Hurst does not affect the merits of Batson claims.


Headnotes

[1] A jury's unanimous recommendation for a death sentence can render a Hurst error harmless beyond a reasonable doubt.

[2] The Hurst decision, which addresses the constitutionality of capital sentencing schemes, applies retroactively to sentences that became final before the decision.

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Key Quotes

“Based on the jury's unanimous recommendation for a sentence of death, coupled with Philmore's confession and the aggravation in this case, we agree with the postconviction court that the Hurst error in Philmore's case is harmless beyond a reasonable doubt.”

States the Court's primary basis for affirming denial of relief—the harmlessness analysis based on unanimous jury recommendation.

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Facts & Procedural History

Philmore was sentenced to death after a jury unanimously recommended death. His conviction and sentence became final on October 7, 2002. The underlyin…

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Opinion of the Court
PER CURIAM.

PER CURIAM.

Lenard James Philmore is a prisoner under sentence of death whose sentence became final on October 7, 2002. See Philmore v. State, 820 So.2d 919 (Fla.), cert. denied, 537 U.S. 895, 123. S.Ct. 179, 154 L.Ed.2d 162 (2002). The facts underlying Philmore’s sentence of death, which 'was imposed after a jury unanimously recommended death, id. at 925, were-fully explained in this Court’s opinion on direct appeal. Id. at 923-25. Following the United States Supreme Court’s decision in Hurst v. Florida, — U.S. —, 136 S.Ct. 616, 193 L.Ed.2d 504 (2016), and this Court’s decision on remand in Hurst v. State (Hurst), 202 So.3d 40 (Fla. 2016), cert. denied, — U.S. —, 137 S.Ct. 2161, 198 L.Ed.2d 246 (2017), Philmore filed a successive motion for postconviction relief pursuant to Florida Rule of Criminal Procedure 3.851, arguing that these decisions render his death sentence unconstitutional under both the United States and Florida Constitutions.1 This Court has jurisdiction. Art. V, § 3(b)(1), Fla. Const. For the reasons explained below, we affirm the post-conviction court’s order denying relief.

As the postconviction court found, Hurst applies retroactively to Philmore’s sentence of death. See Mosley v. State, 209 So.3d 1248, 1283 (Fla. 2016). In its order below, the postconviction court found “beyond a reasonable doubt that any Hurst error was harmless,” stating:

This was a highly aggravated case, the jury was instructed that the aggravators must be established beyond a reasonable doubt, the evidence supporting the ag-gravators for prior and contemporaneous violent felony convictions was significant and uncontested, there was no statutory mitigation, the nonstatutory mitigation was minimal, the jury was not required to recommend death if the ag-gravators outweighed the mitigators, and the jury.recommendation was unanimous. And to date, the Florida Supreme Court has not found Hurst error harmful in any unanimous jury cases.

(Citation omitted.) Based on the jury’s unanimous recommendation for .a sentence of death, coupled with Philmore’s confession and the aggravation in this case, we agree with the postconviction court that the Hurst error in( Philmore’s case is harmless beyond a réasonable doubt. See Davis v. State, 207 So.3d 142, 173-75 (Fla. 2016), cert. denied, — U.S. —, 137 S.Ct. 2218, 198 L.Ed.2d 663 (2017).

As to Philmore’s other claims alleging due process and Eighth Amendment violations, we conclude that Philmore is not *569entitled to relief on these claims because the jury’s unanimous recommendation renders any Hurst error harmless beyond a reasonable doubt.

Finally, Philmore is not entitled to relitigate his Batson v. Kentucky, 476 U.S. 79, 106 S.Ct. 1712, 90 L.Ed.2d 69 (1986), claim in light of Hurst, which does not affect the merits of a Batson claim. A Batson claim addresses who sits on the jury while Hurst affects what the jury must do, once empaneled, in order to constitutionally sentence the defendant to death.

Accordingly, we affirm the. postconviction court’s order denying relief.

It is so ordered.

LABARGA, C.J., and PARIENTE and LEWIS, JJ., concur.

CANADY and POLSTON, JJ., concur in result.

LAWSON, J., concurs specially with an opinion. .

QUINCE, J., dissents with an opinion.

LAWSON, J.,

concurring specially.

See Okafor v. State, 225 So.3d 768, 775-76 (Fla. 2017) (Lawson, J., concurring specially).

QUINCE, J.,

dissenting.

I cannot agree with the majority’s finding that the Hurst error was harmless beyond a reasonable doubt. As I have stated • in other - cases, “[b]ecause Hurst requires ‘a jury, not a judge, to find each fact necessary to impose a sentence of death,’ the error cannot be harmless where such a factual determination was not made.” Hall v. State, 212 So.3d 1001, 1036-37 (Fla. 2017) (Quince, J., concurring in part and dissenting in part) (citation omitted) (quoting Hurst v. Florida, — U.S. —, 136 S.Ct. 616, 619, 193 L.Ed.2d 504 (2016)); see also Truehill v. State, 211 So.3d 930, 961 (Fla. 2017) (Quince, J., concurring in part and dissenting in part). Accordingly, I dissent.

Concurrence
LAWSON, J.,

LAWSON, J.,

concurring specially.

See Okafor v. State, 225 So. 3d 768, 775-76 (Fla. 2017) (Lawson, J., concurring specially).

Dissent
QUINCE, J.,

QUINCE, J.,

dissenting.

I cannot agree with the majority’s finding that the Hurst error was harmless beyond a reasonable doubt. As I have stated • in other - cases, “[b]ecause Hurst requires ‘a jury, not a judge, to find each fact necessary to impose a sentence of death,’ the error cannot be harmless where such a factual determination was not made.” Hall v. State, 212 So. 3d 1001, 1036-37 (Fla. 2017) (Quince, J., concurring in part and dissenting in part) (citation omitted) (quoting Hurst v. Florida, — U.S. —, 136 S.Ct. 616, 619, 193 L.Ed.2d 504 (2016)); see also Truehill v. State, 211 So. 3d 930, 961 (Fla. 2017) (Quince, J., concurring in part and dissenting in part). Accordingly, I dissent.


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Citator

Cited By

  • …rre’s Roper claim—even assuming it is not procedurally barred because Sparre failed to raise it on direct appeal. See Branch v. State, 236 So. 3d 981, 987 (Fla. 2018). Likewise, our precedent forecloses Sparre’s Hurst claim. See Philmore v. State, 234 So. 3d 567, 568 (Fla. 2018) (citing Davis v. State, 207 So. 3d 142, 173-75 (Fla. 2016)). As to the third claim, we find no abuse of discretion in the circuit court’s order denying Sparre’s motion to amend. See Marek v. State, 8 So. 3d 1123, 1131 (Fla. 2009) (…
  • Reynolds v. Florida., 139 S. Ct. 27 (U.S. 2018)
    …at 816 ("a unanimous recommendation is not sufficient alone" to find harmlessness). To be sure, in some cases the Florida Supreme Court has mentioned factors other than unanimity to support a finding of harmlessness. See, e.g., Philmore v. Florida, 234 So. 3d 567, 568 (2018), cert. denied, supra, p. ---- (noting that the defendant's confession and the aggravation in the case, as well as the jury's unanimous recommendation, supported a finding of harmlessness). But in many other cases, the court's analysis st…

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