Douglas Blaine Matthews v. State of Florida

Summary

The court affirmed Matthews's first-degree murder conviction and death sentence. It declined to reach his constitutional challenges based on the rule concerning jury findings because several established aggravating circumstances independently made that rule inapplicable, and it rejected his challenges to the heinous, atrocious, or cruel and felony-course aggravators and related instructions. The court also independently determined that competent, substantial evidence supported the conviction and that the death sentence was proportionate.