Whether section 921.1401, Florida Statutes, violates the Sixth Amendment by allowing a judge rather than a jury to conduct the factfinding necessary to sentence a juvenile to life in prison

QUESTION PRESENTED Petitioner Jason Beckman, a juvenile at the time of the offense, was convicted of first-degree murder. Because he was a juvenile, he received an individualized sentencing hearing pursuant to section 921.1401, Florida Statutes (2014). This statute required the trial court to consider various factors, such as the nature of the crime, Petitioner’s emotional and mental health at the time of the offense, and the effect of the characteristics attributable to the defendant’s youth on the defendant's judgment. A life sentence could not be imposed on Petitioner absent consideration of these factors. After making findings on the section 921.1401 factors and concluding that “the aggravating circumstances clearly and convincingly outweigh the mitigating factors,” the trial court sentenced Petitioner to life in prison. The question presented is whether section 921.1401, Florida Statutes, violates the Sixth Amendment by allowing a judge rather than a jury to conduct the factfinding necessary to sentence a juvenile to life in prison. i