Opinion ID: 1134368
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Validity of Sentencing Proceedings

Text: Our recent decision in Long v. State, 517 So.2d 664 (Fla. 1987), was submitted as supplemental authority. In that decision, we reversed Long's conviction for the Pasco County murder of Virginia Johnson based on the inadmissibility of his confession. Evidence of the Virginia Johnson murder and appellant's conviction for that offense was presented to the jury in this penalty phase proceeding. That evidence was presented to the jury as an aggravating factor and utilized by the trial judge in his first aggravating circumstance. We have expressly held that a conviction used as an aggravating circumstance, which is valid at the time of the sentence but later reversed and vacated by an appellate court, results in an error in the penalty phase proceeding. The reversal eliminates the proper use of the conviction as an aggravating factor. See Oats v. State, 446 So.2d 90 (Fla. 1984). The Johnson conviction was the only prior murder conviction available for use in the sentencing proceeding, although there were other criminal convictions of violent crimes presented in the penalty phase. Eliminating the Pasco County murder as an aggravating factor changed the factual circumstances that could properly be considered by both the jury and the judge. Given this circumstance, and the fact that the trial court found two firm statutory mitigating circumstances concerning Long's mental condition, we must decide the question posed in Elledge v. State, 346 So.2d 998 (Fla. 1977): Would the result of the weighing process by both the jury and the judge have been different had the prior murder conviction not been used as an aggravating circumstance? In answer to this question, we find we are unable to say there is no reasonable probability that the elimination of this factor would change the weighing process of either the jury or the judge, particularly in view of the mitigating circumstances. See, e.g., Dragovich v. State, 492 So.2d 350 (Fla. 1986); Dougan v. State, 470 So.2d 697 (Fla. 1985), cert. denied, 475 U.S. 1098, 106 S.Ct. 1499, 89 L.Ed.2d 1098 (1986); Elledge v. State . Under the particular facts of this case, we are compelled to conclude appellant is entitled to a new sentencing proceeding. Accordingly, we affirm all of appellant's convictions and each of the sentences imposed except the death sentence imposed for the murder of Michelle Denise Simms, which we vacate and remand for a new sentencing proceeding before a new jury. It is so ordered. McDONALD, C.J., and OVERTON, EHRLICH, SHAW, GRIMES and KOGAN, JJ., concur. BARKETT, J., concurs in result only in the convictions, but concurs with the sentence.