Opinion ID: 1589244
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: sufficiency of the evidence

Text: Blake does not contest the sufficiency of the evidence at trial, but we have an independent obligation to review the record for sufficiency of the evidence. See Fla. R.App. P. 9.142(a)(6); Rodgers v. State, 948 So.2d 655, 673-74 (Fla.2006), cert. denied, ___ U.S. ___, 128 S.Ct. 59, 169 L.Ed.2d 50 (2007). The jury found Blake guilty of first-degree murder on a general verdict form. A general guilty verdict rendered by a jury instructed on both first-degree murder alternatives may be upheld on appeal where the evidence is sufficient to establish either felony murder or premeditation. Crain v. State, 894 So.2d 59, 73 (Fla.2004). The evidence in this case is detailed above. Upon review, we find competent, substantial evidence to support Blake's first-degree felony murder conviction. The evidence showed that Blake admitted that the men went to the store to commit a robbery. He further admitted that he took a 9 mm handgun to the front of the store, Patel scared him, and he shot Patel. His confession is consistent with evidence that Patel was killed by a bullet from a 9 mm handgun recovered from a nearby lake.