Florida court reverses felony murder charge for death of baby left in hot car
Rhonda Jewell was sentenced to 17 years for forgetting 10-month-old Ariya in car’s back seat, leading to child’s death
TL;DR
- A Florida state appeals court reversed the felony murder conviction of Rhonda Jewell, who accidentally left a baby in her car, leading to the child's death.
- Jewell had been convicted of third-degree felony murder, predicated on the underlying felony of leaving a child unattended in a vehicle.
- The appellate court ruled that both charges required proof that Jewell knowingly left the baby in the car, which was not established.
- The case highlights concerns about the application of the felony murder doctrine in accidental death scenarios.
- Over 650 children have died in the US since 1990 after being accidentally left in hot cars.
- The court noted that the case "highlights how imperfect our criminal justice system is to adjudicate an accidental death."