Baker v. State
Annotate this CaseAfter a jury trial, Defendant was convicted of first-degree murder, kidnapping, and home invasion robbery. At the conclusion of the penalty phase, the jury recommended death by a vote of nine to three. The trial court sentenced Defendant to death. The Supreme Court affirmed Defendant’s convictions and sentences. Defendant then filed a postconviction motion pursuant to Fla. R. Crim. P. 3.851. The trial court denied all relief after an evidentiary hearing. Defendant appealed the denial of his postconviction motion and also filed a petition for a writ of habeas corpus. The Supreme Court reversed the trial court’s denial of Defendant’s claim related to the constitutionality of Florida’s death penalty scheme, vacated Defendant’s death sentence as unconstitutional under Hurst v. Florida, and denied habeas relief, holding (1) the Hurst error in Defendant’s penalty phase was harmless beyond a reasonable doubt, and Defendant was entitled to a new penalty phase; and (2) Defendant’s remaining claims were unavailing.
Some case metadata and case summaries were written with the help of AI, which can produce inaccuracies. You should read the full case before relying on it for legal research purposes.
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.