After deliberating at 9 a.m. Tuesday, the Florida Supreme Court delayed the Feb. 11 execution of Cary Michael Lambrix.
Lambrix was 22 when authorities charged him with the murders of Clarence Moore and Aleisha Bryant in 1983.
After more than 30 years on death row and several appeals, the 55-year-old inmate still says he acted in self-defense.
After the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling in Hurst v. Florida on Jan. 12, the state Supreme Court ruled that Florida’s death penalty system violated the constitution.
Unlike the systems in other states, Florida’s judges could previously override the jury’s decision.
With Monday’s decision to indefinitely delay Lambrix’s execution, the state will now decide whether the national ruling can be applied retroactively to cases that have already been decided.
Teresa Reid, a UF professor in the Levin College of Law, said Florida now has several options.
Among them, Reid said Lambrix and the 388 other inmates on death row may either face a retrial or have their sentences reduced to life in prison.
Prior to Tuesday’s decision, Lambrix reflected on his future in a written letter to the Alligator.
“Whether I win or lose this Hurst case, it won’t change the fact I’ve been wrongly convicted of a crime that never happened,” he wrote.
Contact Martin Vassolo at mvassolo@alligator.org and follow him on Twitter @martindvassolo.
