Death Penalty for Bludgeoning a Person to Death With a Hammer

In Robinson v. State, 761 So.2d 269 (Fla. 1999), the defendant pled guilty to first-degree murder after bludgeoning his girlfriend to death with a hammer. See 761 So.2d at 270-71. After conducting a resentencing hearing, the trial court found three aggravating circumstances in Robinson's case: (1) the murder was committed for pecuniary gain; (2) the murder was committed to avoid arrest; (3) the murder was committed in a cold, calculated, and premeditated manner (CCP). See 761 So.2d at 272-73. Significantly, the trial court in Robinson found the same two statutory mental mitigating circumstances that have been established in this case, see 761 So.2d at 273, and also found seventeen nonstatutory mitigating circumstances, including: (1) verbal abuse as a child; (2) emotional abuse as a child; (3) the defendant suffered from "personality disorders." See 761 So.2d at 273. After considering the evidence presented at the resentencing hearing, the court upheld the death sentence in Robinson's case. See 761 So.2d at 279.