Florida Supreme Court asked to decide whether a vehicle can be a weapon

Is a car a weapon, like a gun or knife? Is it just a vehicle? Conflicting appellate decisions have led attorneys to ask the Florida Supreme Court to settle the issue.

At stake is how a crime could be classified. And that has major ramifications on possible prison sentences.

The 1st District Court of Appeal last month upheld the conviction of the driver of the car, Adam Lloyd Shepard, on a charge of manslaughter with a weapon. Under state law, the use of a weapon bumped up the manslaughter charge from a second-degree felony to a first-degree felony.

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