Opinion ID: 1704585
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: The Slattery Murder

Text: The facts of the Slattery murder are set forth fully in this Court's opinion on direct appeal in that case. See Owen v. State, 560 So.2d 207 (Fla.1990). On the night of March 24, 1984, Owen broke into a Delray Beach home and stabbed to death a fourteen-year-old babysitter, Karen Slattery, and sexually assaulted her. He was arrested following the Worden murder and confessed to both the Worden and Slattery murders. Prior to being tried on the Worden murder, he was tried and convicted on the Slattery murder. At sentencing on the Slattery murder, the court followed the jury's recommendation and imposed a sentence of death. This Court reversed the conviction and remanded for retrial because police failed to clarify two equivocal statements Owen made during interrogation on the Slattery crime. The State later sought relief in state district court on the confession issue in light of the United States Supreme Court's then-recent decision in Davis v. United States, 512 U.S. 452, 114 S.Ct. 2350, 129 L.Ed.2d 362 (1994), wherein the Court ruled that once a defendant waives his or her rights under Miranda v. Arizona, 384 U.S. 436, 86 S.Ct. 1602, 16 L.Ed.2d 694 (1966), the defendant thereafter must clearly invoke those rights during the ensuing interrogation session. See State v. Owen, 654 So.2d 200 (Fla. 4th DCA 1995). The district court certified the issue to this Court, and we granted relief. The Court adopted the Davis rule for use in Florida and remanded for reconsideration of the Slattery confession in light of Davis. See State v. Owen, 696 So.2d 715 (Fla.1997). The trial court ruled the confession admissible and Owen was retried, convicted, and sentenced to death in March 1999 for the Slattery murder.