Opinion ID: 1854566
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Ring v. Arizona Claim

Text: Next, Carter argues that his sentence is unconstitutional under the United States Supreme Court's decision in Ring v. Arizona, 536 U.S. 584, 609, 122 S.Ct. 2428, 153 L.Ed.2d 556 (2002). We disagree. The three contemporaneous murders were charged in the indictment, and Carter was convicted on each count by a unanimous jury. See Doorbal v. State, 837 So.2d 940, 963 (Fla.2003). These convictions formed the basis for the trial court's finding of the prior violent felony conviction aggravator. See Overton v. State, 976 So.2d 536 (Fla. 2007) (rejecting Ring claim where one of the aggravating circumstances was defendant's prior convictions for contemporaneous murders); Hannon v. State, 941 So.2d 1109, 1147 (Fla.2006); Patton v. State, 878 So.2d 368, 377 (Fla.2004); see also Jones v. State, 855 So.2d 611, 619 (Fla.2003) (holding that the prior violent felony conviction aggravator is a factor which under Apprendi and Ring need not be found by the jury).