CURTIS EDWARD NOWLING
v.
STATE OF FLORIDA
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A sentence of life imprisonment is sufficiently definite and constitutes a valid sentence under Florida law.
[1] A sentence of life imprisonment is sufficiently definite under Florida law to constitute a valid sentence, as the Legislature intends such a sentence to mean the defendan…
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Join FLexlaw to unlock all legal intelligence“[T]he Legislature, by prescribing a sentence of life imprisonment, intends that the defendant remain in prison for the rest of his life. The term 'life' is sufficiently definite so that it can be understood and applied.”
Court's citation to Ratliff v. State, 914 So. 2d 938, 940 (Fla. 2005) in support of affirming the life sentence.
Curtis Edward Nowling appealed from a judgment in a criminal case from Lee County Circuit Court. The appeal concerns the validity of a life sentence i…
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SIXTH DISTRICT COURT OF APPEAL
STATE OF FLORIDA
Case No. 6D2025-0879 Lower Tribunal No. 1990-CF-001491
CURTIS EDWARD NOWLING,
Appellant,
v.
STATE OF FLORIDA,
Appellee.
Appeal pursuant to Fla. R. App. P. 9.141(b)(2) from the Circuit Court for Lee County. Nicholas Thompson, Judge.
May 15, 2026
PER CURIAM.
AFFIRMED. See Ratliff v. State, 914 So. 2d 938, 940 (Fla. 2005) (“[T]he Legislature, by prescribing a sentence of life imprisonment, intends that the defendant remain in prison for the rest of his life. The term ‘life' is sufficiently definite so that it can be understood and applied.").
STARGEL, WOZNIAK and PRATT, JJ., concur.
Curtis Edward Nowling, Lake City, pro se.
James Uthmeier, Attorney General, Tallahassee, and Marilyn Frances Muir, Chief Assistant Attorney General, Tampa, for Appellee.