Jamie Knowles v. State of Florida

Summary

The Third District Court of Appeal of Florida affirmed the circuit court’s decision in Jamie Knowles’s appeal under Florida Rule of Appellate Procedure 9.141(b)(2). The court relied on precedent and Florida statutes concerning the applicable law for criminal offenses and punishments, second-degree murder, firearm-based felony reclassification, and sentencing.

Holdings

1. The statutes in effect at the time of commission of the crime control the offenses for which the perpetrator may be convicted and the punishments that may be imposed.

Questions Presented

1. Whether the statutes in effect when the crime was committed governed the offenses for which Knowles could be convicted and the punishments that could be imposed.
2. Whether the applicable 2014 Florida statutes authorized the degree of offense and punishment at issue.

Disposition

affirmed