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When the U-S Supreme Court ruled unconstitutional the way Florida sentences murderers to death back in January, cases ready for trial were put on hold. As Mike Vasilinda tells us, state lawmakers have an agreement on how many jurors it will take for a sentence of death. It is expected to clear the state House this afternoon.

Before the US Supreme court ruling,  7 out of 12 jurors could recommend a death sentence. That changes dramatically under compromise legislation. Once law, it will tale at least ten jurors to agree to death. Senator Greg Evers originally pushed for a unanimous jury, then changed his mind.

“There were cases in the past , that if we went with the unanimity, that, they would not have been prosecuted and they were some pretty serious cases.”

” My name is Ted Bundy”.

It was criminals like Ted Bundy, who got death on a 10-2 vote that prompted the change, Former Sheriff, now senator Charlie Dean says it will impact who goes to death row.

Q:”What do you think will happen with the higher threshold?”

A:”As intended, it will reduce the number of people who go to the death penalty.”

Indeed, Since the year 2000, 140 of 296 death sentences had votes of 9-3 or lower. Thats 47% who may not have gotten a death sentence.

The Florida Catholic conference had been pushing for a unanimous jury to send someone to death. It views the compromise a a big step forward. Michael Sheedy is the Executive Director.

“These bills will prohibit a judge from overturning a jury recommendation of life without parole and making it a death sentence. that’s a very big improvement.”

Rep. Ross Spano shepherd the bill through the House.

“So all twelve jurors must decide there is one single aggravating factor that satisfied to justify the death penalty.”

Florida never required that before and its why the high court said the death penalty was unconstitutional.

The legislation doesn’t address at all what happens to the nearly four hundred people already on death row. That decision will likely be made by Florida’s Supreme Court.

Under the new legislation, juries will have to find the person guilty by a unanimous verdict, then find at least one aggravating factor that justifies death by a unanimous vote. Finally 10 of the 12 jurors must recommend death or the sentence will be life As of this morning, there were 389 inmates on death row. The legislation could be voted on by the Senate and sent to the Governor as early as next week.