Opinion ID: 2797751
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Murder of Tolbert

Text: Hobart arranged to meet with Tolbert to purchase drugs on the day of the murders, and he was seen with the victims in a secluded location on Jesse Allen Road shortly before the bodies were discovered there. Hobart’s DNA was found on the grip and trigger of the murder weapon, which belonged to his brother, as - 17 - well as on Tolbert’s left arm, and he could not be excluded as the source of hair found at the crime scene. Numerous facts support premeditation as to the murder of Tolbert. First, even though Hobart had routinely purchased drugs from the victims and there was no evidence of any history of provocation or altercation between them, Hobart brought a firearm to the meeting. Second, in his statements to Vonaxelson, Hobart explained that he killed Tolbert because he was “all in” and “had to” after killing Hamm. Finally, Tolbert was shot twice to the side of her head at point-blank range. See Baker v. State, 71 So. 3d 802, 824 (Fla. 2011) (holding that a fatal gunshot delivered in close proximity to the victim’s forehead supported a conclusion that the murder was intentional and premeditated, rather than reckless or accidental). Accordingly, we hold that there is competent, substantial evidence to affirm Hobart’s conviction for the first-degree murder of Tolbert under a premeditated murder theory. There is, in addition, competent, substantial evidence to support the conviction under a felony murder theory. Although Hobart asserts that any robbery was an “afterthought,” Hobart knew Tolbert was in possession of Roxicodone, and testimony established that Tolbert was seen with a large amount of money earlier in the day. After the murders, no money or Roxicodone were ever discovered. As the trial court stated, “[b]ased on the entire circumstances of - 18 - the incident, . . . no other motive for the murder appears from the record other than robbery.” For these reasons, we affirm Hobart’s conviction for the first-degree murder of Tolbert.