Case Dealing With Planning to Kill the Victims Prior to An Argument

In Rodriguez v. State, 753 So. 2d 29 (Fla. 2000), the Court upheld the finding of the cold, calculated, and premeditated (CCP) aggravator as applied to the murders of three victims. There, the Court discussed the relevant facts that supported the finding of the aggravator in the murders of Sam and Bea Joseph and Genevieve Abraham: While it is true that Manuel Rodriguez, the defendant shot the Josephs while . . . arguing with them, the totality of the circumstances . . . establishes that Manuel planned to kill the victims prior to the argument, especially given that Manuel took guns and gloves with him to the apartment, knew the Josephs could identify him, ordered his accomplice to shoot Abraham after he shot the Josephs, and then fired additional shots from close range to ensure that the victims were dead. Id. at 46.