Kaczmar v. State

This case is before the Court on appeal from a judgment of conviction of first-degree murder and a sentence of death. We have jurisdiction. See art. V, § 3(b)(1), Fla. Const. For the reasons that follow, we affirm Kaczmar’s conviction but remand for a new penalty phase.

OVERVIEW

Leo Louis Kaczmar, III, was convicted of the first-degree murder of Maria Ruiz. Ruiz’s body was found in the kitchen of the home in which she and Kaczmar lived. She had been stabbed and suffered blunt force trauma to her head. The house had been set on fire in an apparent attempt to hide the murder. Kaczmar was indicted…