FLORIDA FELONY
MURDER REFORM
A Florida-focused call for change

Justice should
reflect your
role.

A death is a profound loss. Accountability matters. So does a justice system that considers what each person did, intended, and could have prevented.

Understand felony murder ↓Help change the law ↗
Education that starts a conversationStories that make it humanAction that moves us forward ↗
01 / Understand the law

A murder charge.
Without an intent
to kill.

Felony murder connects a death to participation in certain crimes. In Florida, an intent to kill is not always required for a murder conviction.

Source: Florida Statutes § 782.04 ↗
Reviewed October 12, 2026. Educational information, not individual legal advice.

01

The underlying crime matters

Section 782.04 identifies felonies, including robbery and burglary, that can support first-degree felony murder when a killing occurs during the crime or its attempted commission.

02

The circumstances matter, too

The statute also addresses certain deaths caused by someone other than a participant, and killings during other felonies. The applicable degree and liability depend on the facts and law.

03

The consequences can be severe

First-degree murder is classified as a capital felony. A person’s role, age, and other legal rules can affect sentencing. A general summary cannot determine the outcome of a particular case.

Does reform mean ignoring the loss of a life?

No. Our proposed approach recognizes victims and their families while asking for punishment that reflects each person’s conduct and responsibility.

Are the goals on this site already law?

No. The reform goals below are advocacy proposals. They are not a description of enacted changes or a promise of resentencing.

02 / The human impact

Behind the doctrine,
there are people.

Understanding a case means seeing the lives lost, the families left behind, and the individual role of the person sentenced.

Reported case
Florida

Sadik Baxter was already in police custody when a fatal crash happened miles away.

The Felony Murder Reporting Project reports that Baxter’s friend fled from deputies and struck two bicyclists, Dean Amelkin and Christopher McConnell. Baxter was charged with murder and received life without parole, despite being away from the crash.

Read the original reporting ↗

Summary of the project’s published reporting; this site has not independently reviewed the court record or verified current case status. No affiliation with the Felony Murder Reporting Project.

03 / Our vision for reform

Accountability with
proportionality.

Three starting points for a Florida reform conversation.

01 / INDIVIDUAL RESPONSIBILITY

Consider the
person’s role.

Advocate for standards that distinguish the person who killed from participants with different levels of involvement and intent.

02 / MEANINGFUL REVIEW

Revisit extreme
sentences.

Advocate for a fair review process for existing cases if the law changes, with a meaningful opportunity for victims and families to be heard.

03 / PUBLIC TRANSPARENCY

Make the
data visible.

Ask Florida to report clearly on felony murder charges, convictions, sentences, and case outcomes so policy decisions can be informed by evidence.

04 / Legislative history

Reform was proposed.
It did not become law.

Florida lawmakers introduced these three felony murder reform bills in successive sessions. Each died in committee.

Selected Florida felony murder reform bills — not a complete historical list
Session / billSponsorProposed changeFinal recorded action
2020 · SB 564 ↗Senator BracyRevise felony murder liability, remove third-degree felony murder provisions, and allow eligible people to petition to vacate a conviction or be resentenced.Did not pass
March 14, 2020
Died in Criminal Justice
2021 · SB 478 ↗Senator BracyReintroduce changes to felony murder liability and a petition process for eligible existing convictions and sentences.Did not pass
April 30, 2021
Died in Judiciary
2022 · SB 1496 ↗Senator BracyAgain propose changes to felony murder liability, removal of third-degree felony murder provisions, and review of eligible existing cases.Did not pass
March 14, 2022
Died in Judiciary

What would the proposed standard have changed?

The filed text of SB 1496 proposed second-degree felony murder liability for an actual killer, a person who intentionally helped a killer commit murder, or a major participant who acted with reckless indifference to human life. It also proposed a process to review eligible existing convictions.

Read the filed 2022 bill text ↗

What does “died in committee” mean?

These bills did not advance to become law during their sessions. That status does not establish that lawmakers took a floor vote against them. Their proposed effective dates never made the proposals operative law.

Sources: Florida Senate bill histories and filed text. Reviewed October 12, 2026. These entries describe historical proposals, not current law.

Another advocacy proposal: the Ryan Holle Reform Act

WFTS reported in 2022 that Doug Gilding wrote a proposal promoted by We H.E.A.R.T. Florida to cap certain felony murder sentences at 15 years. At the time, advocates were seeking lawmakers to sponsor it. This advocacy draft is separate from the three formally filed Senate bills listed above; we have not verified a bill number or enactment for that named proposal.

Read the reporting about the proposal ↗
Ask your lawmaker to revisit reform ↗
05 / Make your voice heard

Change begins
with a conversation.

Ask your Florida lawmakers to examine felony murder liability and sentencing.

Use the draft as a starting point. Add your own experience and a specific request, then send it through your legislator’s official contact page.

Find your representative ↗Find your senator ↗

This tool prepares a letter. It does not send messages, sign a petition, or collect your information.

Your letter to a lawmaker
06 / Florida case stories

Every case has
a human story.

A growing collection of experiences shared by people and families affected by felony murder in Florida.

First featured case · Contributor-reported

Jackson Limose

Reported sentence: life without the possibility of parole

Jackson Limose’s story opens our collection of Florida cases. He is reported to be serving life without the possibility of parole in a case involving felony murder. We are gathering the records and personal account needed to tell his story fully.

Community-reported case. The conviction, sentence, and current status are awaiting independent verification. Supporting records and further details are welcome.

Share details or supporting sources ↗
Reported case · Sentence commuted · Released in 2024

Ryan Holle

A life sentence. A rare commutation. A return home.

In 2003, Holle lent his car to his roommate in Pensacola and remained at home. The men who used the car committed a robbery in which 18-year-old Jessica Snyder was killed. Holle was sentenced to life under Florida’s felony murder rule.

Governor Rick Scott commuted his sentence to 25 years in 2015. WFTS reported that he was released on June 30, 2024. That relief changed his sentence; it did not overturn his conviction or change Florida’s law.

Read WFTS’s release report ↗

Source: WFTS / ABC Action News, July 5, 2024. Summary of published reporting.

Documented by an advocacy project · 2025 account

Doug Gilding

A conviction for a killing in another county.

Making an Exoneree’s 2025 case collection describes Gilding as serving life without parole under Florida’s felony murder rule, although he was asleep in another county when a robbery became fatal.

A documentary made by Georgetown students examines the conversation and testimony that the project says led to his conviction. His account raises questions about how the law evaluates the role of a person who was not at the scene.

Explore the documentary project ↗

Source: Making an Exoneree, 2025 cases. This is the project’s account; this site has not independently reviewed the trial record or verified later developments.

07 / Share a particular case

Help us tell
the whole story.

Tell us about a Florida felony murder case affecting you, a loved one, or your community.

Include the person’s name, sentence, what happened, and any public records that help explain the case. Submissions are saved for review before publication.

Contact details remain private. Approved case details and summaries may appear on this site. Do not include confidential documents, home addresses, or information you do not have permission to share. This form does not request legal representation.

Submit a case for review
08 / Meet the founder

A voice for
a fairer Florida.

H. Brun

Founder · Florida Felony Murder Reform

My name is H. Brun. I am a mother, a legal professional, and someone who believes that laws should serve people fairly.

I earned my bachelor’s degree in Law from Regent University and am currently pursuing a Juris Master at Florida International University. My education and personal experiences have strengthened my commitment to understanding how our justice system works—and speaking up when change is needed.

I created Florida Felony Murder Reform to help people understand this law, bring attention to the lives it affects, and advocate for accountability that reflects each person’s actions, intent, and role.

Every life lost matters. Victims and their families deserve to be heard. I also believe we must examine whether the punishment imposed on each person fairly reflects their responsibility.

Through education, people’s stories, and community advocacy, I hope to help move Florida toward a more thoughtful and fair approach to justice.

You do not have to hold public office to care about changing the law. You can begin by learning, asking questions, and making your voice heard. That is where I am starting.

Keep learning

Go to the sources.

Primary lawFlorida Statutes
§ 782.04Read the murder statute ↗Independent reportingThe Felony Murder
Reporting ProjectExplore stories and research ↗Civic participationCommunicating
with a legislatorRead the Florida Senate’s guidance ↗