The Florida Supreme Court has officially upheld the death sentence for a man who brutally killed his cellmate while already serving life in prison for three other murders. Michael Lawrence Woodbury was sentenced to death after he barricaded his cell door and spent hours attacking his cellmate with makeshift weapons.

Appeals Denied

In a ruling issued Thursday, the court denied Woodbury’s appeals for postconviction relief and his petition for a writ of habeas corpus. During his original trial, Woodbury insisted on acting as his own lawyer. He eventually pleaded guilty to first-degree murder and refused to offer any mitigating evidence to defend himself against the death penalty.

In his recent appeals, Woodbury tried to overturn his sentence by arguing that his mental illness should have stopped the trial court from letting him represent himself. He also claimed the state hid his mental health records and that the judge unfairly encouraged him to wear prison clothes, handcuffs, and shackles in court. The Supreme Court completely rejected these arguments.

The justices ruled that his claims were either invalid or should have been brought up during his very first appeal. According to the court, “Woodbury never wavered in his insistence on representing himself at trial,” and he fully understood the rights he was giving up by proceeding without an attorney.

Addressing the complaint about the jail uniform and shackles, the court highlighted that Woodbury actually chose to wear them. When the original trial judge offered him a discreet stun belt instead of handcuffs to be less noticeable, Woodbury refused, telling the judge, “I’ll just wear the cuffs.” Later, when the state attorney asked if he wanted to change out of his blue prison uniform and shackles, Woodbury simply responded, “This is excellent.”

Because he never objected during the trial, the Supreme Court ruled that he “failed to preserve any error related to his attire or restraints.” The court ultimately decided that his original trial proceedings were legal and that his death sentence will stand.

Original reporting: Tampa Free Press — read the source article.