Florida court overturns murder charge against babysitter in hot car death
A Florida appeals court has reversed a third-degree felony murder conviction against a woman who accidentally left a baby in a hot car, ruling such a charge requires proof of knowing conduct that prosecutors failed to show.
Florida's first district court of appeal has reversed the felony murder conviction of 46-year-old Rhonda Jewell, tied to the death of 10-month-old Ariya Paige in July 2023.
Jewell was babysitting four children from two families when she forgot that Ariya remained strapped into her car seat in the back of her vehicle and went inside to tend to the other children. In Florida's summer heat, the baby died of hyperthermia before Jewell realized her mistake.
Conviction and reversal
Jewell was convicted the following year of third-degree felony murder, based on the underlying charge of leaving a child unattended in a vehicle, and sentenced to 17 years in prison. The appeals court has now overturned both the murder conviction and the unattended-child charge, finding that both require proof Jewell knowingly left the baby in the car.
The court wrote that third-degree felony murder cannot rest on an underlying offense that requires no proof of intent, adding that the case highlights how poorly the justice system handles accidental deaths. The case has been sent back to the trial court for a new trial.
Wider context
The prosecution had been seen as an attempt to broaden the felony murder doctrine, under which anyone involved in a felony leading to death can be held criminally responsible for that death. At trial, jurors acquitted Jewell of aggravated manslaughter — the only charge that required proof of reckless disregard for the baby's life.
More than 650 children in the US have died since 1990 after being accidentally left in hot cars. Felony murder charges in such cases remain rare, with fewer than 10 known instances. Jewell has said she has struggled with depression and panic attacks since the baby's death.
