Palm Beach County

Ms. Horwitz was convicted of first-degree murder with a firearm and sentenced to life in prison for the 2011 killing of her ex-husband, Lanny Horwitz. On appeal, she argued that, because she did not testify at trial, the judge erred in allowing evidence that she was silent before she was arrested and before she was advised of her constitutional right to remain silent. The Fourth District Court of Appeal agreed and overturned her conviction but also certified the issue as one of great public importance for this Court’s review.