The Florida Supreme Court affirmed the denial of postconviction relief and rejected a habeas corpus petition for James Terry Colley Jr., who remains on death row for the 2015 murders of his estranged wife and her friend.
In a per curiam opinion issued Dec. 30, 2025, the court upheld lower court rulings denying Colley's motion to vacate his convictions and death sentences filed under Florida Rule of Criminal Procedure 3.851. The court also denied Colley's petition for a writ of habeas corpus in consolidated cases No. SC2024-1011 and No. SC2024-1647.
Colley was convicted in 2018 of first-degree murder in the deaths of his estranged wife Amanda Colley and Lindy Dobbins, Amanda's friend. He received two death sentences for those murders. The jury also convicted him of attempted first-degree murder of Lamar Douberly, Amanda's boyfriend, and attempted felony murder of Rachel Hendricks, another friend of Amanda's.
Additional charges included burglary of a dwelling with assault or battery, burglary of a dwelling, and aggravated stalking after an injunction. The convictions stemmed from a violent incident that occurred in the early morning hours of Aug. 27, 2015.
According to facts established during the original trial and detailed in the Supreme Court's 2020 direct appeal decision in *Colley v. State*, the defendant was living at his sister's house on Garrison Drive in St. Augustine at the time of the murders. Amanda continued to live in the former marital home on South Bellagio Drive, approximately 15 miles away.
The court's 2020 opinion revealed that although Colley was dating someone else, he harbored hopes of reconciling with Amanda. He suspected Amanda was also dating but she had refused to confirm this to him. Around 4 a.m. on the morning of the incident, Colley drove to Amanda's house, unaware that she was not there at the time.
The Florida Supreme Court first reviewed Colley's case on direct appeal, affirming his convictions and death sentences in 2020. The court found sufficient evidence to support the jury's verdicts and determined that the death sentences were proportionate and appropriate given the aggravating factors present in the case.
Postconviction proceedings under Rule 3.851 allow defendants to challenge their convictions and sentences based on newly discovered evidence, ineffective assistance of counsel, or other constitutional violations. These motions are typically filed after direct appeals have been exhausted and provide defendants with an opportunity to raise claims that could not have been brought during the original trial or direct appeal.
Habeas corpus petitions serve as another avenue for challenging unlawful detention or imprisonment. In death penalty cases, defendants often file both types of motions simultaneously as they exhaust all available legal remedies before facing execution.
The consolidated cases before the Supreme Court represented Colley's challenges to both his convictions and his continued imprisonment. By affirming the denial of postconviction relief and rejecting the habeas petition, the court found no merit in Colley's claims that his trial or sentencing violated constitutional requirements.
The ruling represents another step in Florida's death penalty process, which requires multiple levels of judicial review before executions can be carried out. Death row inmates typically pursue various appeals and postconviction motions over several years as they challenge their sentences through state and federal courts.
Florida's death penalty system has faced scrutiny in recent years, with the legislature making changes to sentencing procedures following Supreme Court decisions that found previous practices unconstitutional. However, the state continues to pursue capital punishment in first-degree murder cases where aggravating factors are present.
The Supreme Court's jurisdiction in this matter derives from Article V, Section 3(b)(1) and (9) of the Florida Constitution, which grants the court authority to review death penalty cases and habeas corpus petitions involving state prisoners.
With the denial of these appeals, Colley's legal options become more limited. He may still pursue federal habeas corpus proceedings in federal court, which would examine whether his state court proceedings violated federal constitutional rights. However, federal courts apply strict standards when reviewing state court decisions and rarely grant relief in death penalty cases.
The case highlights the lengthy appellate process that typically occurs in capital cases, with defendants spending years or even decades on death row while pursuing various legal challenges. The Dec. 30 ruling moves Colley's case closer to potential execution, though additional appeals through federal courts could extend the process further.