Florida man on death row wants more time to prep new sentencing trial
Lawyers will ask a judge Thursday for more time to prepare a new sentencing trial for a Florida man on death row for kidnapping, raping and killing 11-year-old Carlie Brucia.
In April 2018, the Florida Supreme Court ordered a new hearing for Joseph Smith because the jury that recommended the death sentence wasn't unanimous. Death sentences in Florida now require a unanimous vote.
Smith, who has been on death row for more than a decade, appealed his conviction last year under the state's updated death penalty law.
The 2004 case received national publicity after a Sarasota car wash surveillance camera captured images of Smith grabbing Carlie's arm and leading her away.
Smith was sentenced to death in 2006.