Victor Guzman v. State of Florida

Victor Guzman appeals his conviction of first-degree murder and sentence of death. We have jurisdiction. See art. V, § 3(b)(1), Fla. Const. For the reasons explained below, we affirm Guzman’s conviction but reverse his sentence of death and remand this case to the trial court for a new penalty phase.

I. BACKGROUND

On December 9, 2000, Severina Fernandez was found stabbed to death in her Miami apartment. The case went cold until 2004, when DNA from blood left at the crime scene was determined to match Victor Guzman’s DNA. As a result, Guzman was indicted for first-degree murder, stood trial, and…