McFadden v. State
Annotate this CasePetitioner was convicted of two counts of second-degree murder with a firearm and two counts of robbery with a firearm causing great bodily harm and was sentenced to a term of fifty-five years in prison. Three years later, the State moved to reduce or suspend Petitioner’s sentence pursuant to Fla. Stat. 921.186, the substantial assistance statute, explaining that it sought Petitioner’s assistance in its prosecution of a codefendant. After a hearing, the trial court denied the State’s motion. Petitioner appealed. The State countered that the order was not appealable. The Second District Court of Appeal affirmed the trial court’s decision, concluding that it had jurisdiction to review the trial court’s order denying the section 921.186 motion but that the trial court in this case misapplied the statute. The Supreme Court quashed the decision below, holding (1) orders denying relief under section 921.186 are appealable; and (2) the trial court considered improper reasons for denying the section 921.186 motion and thus abused its discretion in denying the motion.
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