Case Involving Rehearsing a Murder by Practicing Choke Holds

In Gamble v. State, 659 So. 2d 242, 244 (Fla. 1995), the court determined that all of the elements of the cold, calculated, and premeditated (CCP) aggravator, including heightened premeditation, were satisfied. There, the defendant told his girlfriend six days prior to the killing that he was going to "take out" the victim, who was his landlord. The defendant also rehearsed the murder by practicing choke holds on his girlfriend with a cord. The defendant and his roommate plotted to visit the landlord at his home, under the guise of paying their rent. While the landlord searched for a receipt, the roommate located a claw hammer. Upon the landlord's return, the defendant struck him repeatedly on the head with the hammer. The defendant's roommate also subsequently choked the victim.