Steven Anthony Cozzie, Appellant v. State of Florida, Appellee

Summary

The court affirmed Cozzie’s convictions and death sentence, rejecting challenges to juror qualifications, penalty-phase expert rebuttal, aggravating-circumstance findings, victim-impact and collateral-crime evidence, the constitutionality of the capital-sentencing process, evidentiary sufficiency, and proportionality. It held that any sentencing error was harmless beyond a reasonable doubt because the jury unanimously recommended death and the remaining aggravation was substantial. Justice Polston concurred that no sentencing error occurred, Justice Pariente concurred in the result while finding improper lack-of-remorse testimony harmless, and Justice Quince dissented from the harmless-error determination.