'Buried alive' mastermind condemned to death: Florida court upholds sentence under 8-4 jury law
Story by Wendy Vasquez • 16h
Michael James Jackson, the man identified as the ringleader in the grim 2005 "buried alive" murders of a Jacksonville couple, has lost his bid to escape death row. Earlier this month, the Florida Supreme Court affirmed Jackson’s death sentences, ruling that the state’s newly revised capital sentencing laws—which allow for non-unanimous jury recommendations—were properly applied to his case.
The decision marks a significant legal precedent regarding how Florida handles resentencing for older capital cases.
Jackson was convicted in 2007 for the kidnapping, robbery, and first-degree murder of James and Carol Sumner. The Sumners, a frail couple in ill health, were abducted from their home, bound with duct tape, driven to a remote area in Georgia, and buried alive in a six-foot-deep hole.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/crime/buried-alive-mastermind-condemned-to-death-florida-court-upholds-sentence-under-8-4-jury-law/ar-AA1TpZ0X?ocid=msedgdhp&pc=HCTS&cvid=6957be2cb17d49a58169322ba95d6e60&ei=19
