Randall Williamson v. State Florida

Defendant Randall Williamson appeals his judgment and sentence for armed robbery. On appeal Williamson limits his argument to two points regarding his sentence. First, he argues the trial judge improperly departed from the recommended guidelines sentence. Second, he contends that, even if the departure was proper, the extent of such departure was excessive. We agree with the defendant's first point, and thus, we need not reach his second point. The defendant was convicted of armed robbery. The recommended guideline sentence range was seven to nine years' imprisonment. The trial court sentenced him to life imprisonment and gave three written reasons for its departure. The first reason was the ""circumstances of the case."" The court pointed out that the armed robbery involved three male offenders and one woman victim, the use of force was far in excess of that which was necessary to accomplish the robbery, and the victim was threatened with death. The court also noted the proximity of the knife against the victim's body. The second reason was the ""defendant's criminal history."" The court stated that the defendant had a history of crimes of violence and, thus, was an irretrievable criminal for whom rehabilitation was an illusion. The third reason was ""victim impact."" The court noted that the victim was terrorized to the point that she feared for her life and would experience the trauma of the event for the rest of her life.