Opinion ID: 1650090
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Second TrialGuilt Phase

Text: Prior to jury selection for the second trial, Turner filed a motion to dismiss the charges against him alleging that the Double Jeopardy Clauses in both the Florida and United States Constitutions precluded the State from retrying him. The motion stated in part: Defendant was placed in a position that he either had to waive his request for a mistrial or have an alternate juror seated to replace the juror who became ill after over four hours of deliberations. The twelve person jury who had been selected and sworn had reached an agreement on four of the five counts, leaving the Defendant with the only option of requesting a mistrial. At the subsequent hearing, Turner asked the trial court to find that the mistrial had been declared over defendant's objection and to apply the standard of manifest necessity. The trial court noted that Turner had never before suggested a double jeopardy violation. The trial court denied the motion to dismiss. At trial, the State presented the testimony of multiple Florida Department of Law Enforcement crime lab analysts. Analyst Steven Platt testified with regard to the procedures for collecting the evidence from room 210. Analyst Gregory Brock established that there was a positive DNA match for James Turner for blood found on the bathroom door frame. He further testified that blood on a doorknob in the hotel room was a positive DNA match for Renee Howard, Stacia Raybon, and Turner. Evidence was presented that the shoes Turner was wearing at the time he was apprehended matched a bloody footprint found on a sheet of paper located in the hotel room. Finally, Dr. Terrence Steiner, the pathologist who performed the autopsy of Renee Howard, testified that the cause of death was shock and blood loss due to multiple stab wounds. Howard had sustained fifteen stab wounds. The defense did not present any evidence. The jury returned a verdict of guilty on all five counts.