TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- Dontae Morris, a convicted cop-killer and accused killer in four total murders, has had his death sentence vacated in the 2010 murder of Derek Anderson by the Florida Supreme Court Thursday.
His first-degree murder conviction was upheld, but it was ruled that he must be resentenced due to the recent U.S. Supreme Court Case ruling in Hurst vs. Florida.
In the Hurst vs. Florida case, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that death sentences require a unanimous jury. In this case, it was decided that the jury's role in the capital punishment was limited and therefore unconstitutional.
The court released the following statement on the case:
"Because the jury, in this case, recommended death by a vote of 10 to 2, we cannot determine that the jury unanimously found that the aggravators outweighed the mitigators ... The error in Morris’ sentencing was not harmless beyond a reasonable doubt."
Morris remains on death row for the killings of two Tampa police officers.
For more information, check out the Tampa Bay Times article.
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