Opinion ID: 1626909
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 12

Heading: Proportionality Assessment

Text: While not challenged by Orme, the proportionality of the death sentence is an issue that this court must review in every death penalty case. Beasley v. State, 774 So.2d 649, 673 (Fla.2000). [T]o ensure uniformity in death penalty proceedings, `we make a comprehensive analysis in order to determine whether the crime falls within the category of both the most aggravated and the least mitigated of murders, thereby assuring uniformity in the application of the sentence.' Floyd v. State, 913 So.2d 564, 578 (Fla.2005) (quoting Anderson v. State, 841 So.2d 390, 407-08 (Fla.2003)). Orme was convicted of murder, robbery, and sexual battery. The trial court found three aggravators: (1) HAC; (2) the capital felony was committed for pecuniary gain; and (3) the capital felony was committed during the commission of a sexual battery. The court also found three statutory mitigators: (1) the defendant had no significant criminal history (little weight); (2) the capital felony was committed while the defendant was under the influence of extreme mental or emotional disturbance (little weight); and (3) the capacity of the defendant to appreciate the criminality of his conduct or to conform his conduct to the requirements of the law was substantially impaired (little weight). Because we find that the trial court erred as to the difficult childhood mitigator, we also give proper consideration to that mitigator in the proportionality assessment. We find that Orme's sentence is proportional in relation to other death sentences that this Court has upheld. See Johnston v. State, 841 So.2d 349 (Fla.2002) (finding death sentence proportionate where defendant beat, raped, and strangled his victim and the trial court found four aggravators including the three that were found in the instant case, one statutory mitigator, and numerous nonstatutory mitigators); see also Bates v. State, 750 So.2d 6 (Fla.1999) (upholding death sentence where the Court found three aggravators, including that the murder was committed during a kidnapping and sexual battery, was committed for pecuniary gain, and was HAC, versus two statutory mitigators and several nonstatutory mitigators); Hauser v. State, 701 So.2d 329 (Fla.1997) (death sentence proportionate where victim was strangled and trial court found three aggravators of HAC, CCP, and pecuniary gain, balanced against one statutory mitigator and four nonstatutory mitigators).