Hildwin v. Florida

This case presents us once again with the question whether the Sixth Amendment requires a jury to specify the aggravating factors that permit the imposition of capital punishment in Florida. Petitioner, Paul C. Hildwin, Jr., was indicted for, and convicted of, first-degree murder. Under *639Florida law, that offense is a capital felony punishable by death or life imprisonment. Fla. Stat. §782.04(l)(a) (1987). Upon a defendant’s conviction of a capital felony, the court conducts a separate sentencing proceeding after which the jury renders an advisory verdict. Fla. Stat. §921.141 (Supp. 1988). The…