State of Florida v. Charleston D. Griner
CourtDistrict Court of Appeal of Florida
Date FiledJanuary 22, 2020
Docket1D18-4849
StatusPublished
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Full Opinion
FIRST DISTRICT COURT OF APPEAL
STATE OF FLORIDA
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No. 1D18-4849
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STATE OF FLORIDA,
Appellant,
v.
CHARLESTON D. GRINER,
Appellee.
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On appeal from the Circuit Court for Duval County.
Bruce Anderson, Judge.
January 22, 2020
PER CURIAM.
The State appeals a postconviction order granting Grinerโs
motion to correct an illegal sentence and requiring resentencing
for the crime of first-degree murder committed by Griner when he
was a juvenile. We reverse.
The postconviction court granted relief under Miller v.
Alabama, 567 U.S. 460 (2012) and Graham v. Florida, 560 U.S. 48
(2010), as interpreted by Atwell v. State, 197 So. 3d 1040 (Fla.
2016). In State v. Michel, 257 So. 3d 3 (Fla. 2018), the Florida
Supreme Court receded from Atwell, but the postconviction court
determined that Michel is not binding precedent because fewer
than four justices concurred in the opinion. However, in Franklin
v. State, 258 So. 3d 1239 (Fla. 2018), a majority of the justices
concluded that Atwell had misapplied Graham and Miller and was
no longer good law. Id. at 1241. Because Griner is eligible for
parole, his life sentence is not unconstitutional under Miller or
Graham. Therefore, he is not entitled to resentencing under
chapter 2014-220, Laws of Florida.
REVERSED.
RAY, C.J., and KELSEY and WINOKUR, JJ., concur.
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Not final until disposition of any timely and
authorized motion under Fla. R. App. P. 9.330 or
9.331.
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Ashley Moody, Attorney General, and Tabitha Rae Herrera,
Assistant Attorney General, Tallahassee; Sheila Ann Loizos,
Assistant State Attorney, Jacksonville, for Appellant.
Rocco Joseph Carbone, III, of the Law Office of Rocco J. Carbone,
III, St. Augustine, for Appellee.
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