A state appeals court in Florida has reversed the felony murder conviction of Rhonda Jewell, who was sentenced to 17 years in prison after a baby died in her car. The court found that the charges of third-degree felony murder and leaving a child unattended in a vehicle required proof that Jewell had knowingly left 10-month-old Ariya Paige in the car.
In July 2023, while babysitting, 46-year-old Jewell forgot Ariya Paige was in the back of her car. The child died of hyperthermia in the Florida summer heat. Jewell was convicted the following year of third-degree felony murder, predicated on the underlying felony of leaving a child unattended in a vehicle.
Florida's first district court of appeal stated that third-degree felony murder cannot be based on a predicate felony that does not require proof of intent. Christine Monta, a lawyer representing Jewell, said that tragic accidents are not equivalent to murder and the court recognised Jewell should not be criminally punished for an act that could not be proven as knowingly done.
The appellate court has called for the case to be remanded to the trial court for a new trial.