Gowins v. State
Gowins v. State
Opinion
Deon Gowins appeals the denial of his motion filed under Florida Rule of Criminal Procedure 3.800(a), challenging his life sentences for first-degree murder and robbery with a firearm. These offenses were allegedly committed in 1998 when Mr. Gowins was seventeen years old. The postconviction court properly denied this motion under the law of this district at the time the motion was filed. This court stayed this appeal pending the outcome of several cases in the Supreme Court of Florida that concerned issues related to juvenile life sentences. That court has now addressed those issues. See Falcon v. State, 162 So.3d 954 (Fla. 2015); Horsley v. State, 160 So.3d 393 (Fla. 2015); see also Gridine v. State, - So.3d - (Fla. 2015); Henry v. State, — So.3d - (Fla. 2015). It appears that Mr. Gowins may be entitled to relief under these cases. Accordingly, we lift our stay in this case, reverse the order on appeal, and remand for further proceedings in accordance with the recent cases.
Reversed and remanded.
Case-law data current through December 31, 2025. Source: CourtListener bulk data.