The Florida Supreme Court has denied the appeal of a death row inmate who claimed the mental health effects of undiagnosed gender dysphoria led to a series of major decisions in his trial.

Jeremiah Rodgers, 40, and his co-defendant, Jonathan Lawrence, 42, killed Julie Robinson in Santa Rosa County in 1998, cutting off and saving the victim's calf muscle. Rodgers was sentenced to death in 2000 and has remained on death row since.

In his appeal to the Florida Supreme Court, Rodgers claimed a new law that requires juries to unanimously recommend the death sentence should be applied retroactively to him. He further argued his gender dysphoria, which has for years gone undiagnosed, should lead to a review of his competency throughout his case's proceedings.

The American Psychiatric Association defines gender dysphoria as "a conflict between a person's physical or assigned gender and the gender with which he/she/they identify."

The Supreme Court ruled the new law doesn't apply to Rodgers' case because he waived his right to a penalty phase jury during resentencing, which means he didn't have a jury death sentence recommendation. The court said because the gender dysphoria wasn't introduced as a new piece of evidence but rather a reasoning to undermine his former actions, it didn't warrant a successful appeal.

State Attorney Bill Eddins said the case is important because the ruling sets the precedent that if a defendant waives the penalty phase jury, then they are not entitled to resentencing under the new law.

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"We're pleased that the Florida Supreme Court has made that ruling and finalized this issue," he said.

Eddins said Rodgers didn't use an insanity defense, despite suffering several mental illnesses, and he said it's the state's opinion that the psychological testing done on Rodgers at the time of his court proceedings would've identified the gender dysphoria condition.

The Supreme Court opinion shows Rodgers has a long history of mental illness and lived through an abusive upbringing. The Supreme Court opinion documents sexual abuse from his mother beginning at age 3 and continuing through age 14.

Rodgers went through school in classrooms for severely emotionally disturbed children and had attempted suicide five times by age 13. He attempted self-castration at ages 14 and 18, the document states.

He had all six risk factors for mental illness and has been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress, disassociative disorder, substance abuse in remission and borderline personality disorder. He spent much of his teenage years incarcerated with mental illness, according to court documents.

He met his co-defendant in a mental hospital in Chattahoochee, and Rodgers had previously testified that his co-defendant "appealed to (his) angry side," the opinion states.

Supreme Court Justice Barbara Pariente issued her own opinion following the primary ruling, saying she intended to "emphasize the troubling history of Rodgers' mental illness."

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"The recent specific diagnosis of gender dysphoria, not raised as a newly discovered evidence claim, does not invalidate Rodgers' waivers. Therefore, I agree with the majority that Rodgers is not entitled to have his waivers set aside," Pariente wrote, and she went on to note the impact undiagnosed gender dysphoria could have on a person.

A psychologist's opinion, quoted in the Supreme Court opinion, argues that Rodgers' plea may have been influenced by his mental illness and his wish to die. Further, the American Civil Liberties Union suggested in the document that Rodgers may have waived the penalty phase in an effort to commit suicide by execution to treat the pain of the untreated condition.

Rodgers initially pleaded guilty as a principal to the first-degree murder, but then tried to withdraw that plea. He again pleaded guilty and waived his right to a guilt phase jury trial, and was sentenced to death on a vote of 9-3.

He was resentenced years later when the Florida Supreme Court remanded the case back to local court on the ruling that several factors about Rodgers' abusive childhood that may have swayed a jury's death penalty decision were excluded from testimony.

During that resentencing, Rodgers waived his right to a penalty phase jury, and didn't allow his attorneys to present mitigating evidence, other than his own testimony, and the court again imposed a sentence of death.

He sent letters to the defense counsel stating that his gender identity disorder was the driving force behind his desire to die, and he said he waived the right to a penalty phase jury while struggling with the effects of that untreated disorder.

Eddins said with the Supreme Court's ruling, every state court claim has now been ruled on and ruled against Rodgers, which means he should have no further matters in the local court.

Emma Kennedy can be reached at ekennedy@pnj.com or 850-435-8680.