Rebecca Falcon was a fifteen year old from Florida when she would murder a taxi driver in the middle of a robbery
According to court documents Rebecca Falcon and Cliffton Gilchrist would attempt to rob a taxi driver and in the middle of the robbery Rebecca would fatally shoot the driver
Rebecca Falcon and Clifton Gilchrist would be arrested, convicted and sentenced to life in prison without parole
Due to Rebecca Falcon age she would receive a new court hearing regarding her life sentence following the Supreme Court ruling. Falcon would be resentenced to life with parole eligibility in fifteen years
Rebecca Falcon Photos
Rebecca Falcon FAQ
What Is Rebecca Falcon Release Date
Rebecca Falcon is serving life however is eligible for parole in 2035
Where Is Rebecca Falcon Now
Rebecca Falcon is currently incarcerated at Lowell Correctional Institute in Florida
Rebecca Falcon Case
The Office of State Attorney Glenn Hess announces that on July 21, 2020, Judge Brantley Clark, Jr. resentenced Rebecca Lee Falcon to life in prison.
Rebecca Falcon, a fifteen-year old at the time, murdered cab driver Richard Phillips by shooting him in the back of the head on November 19, 1997. A Bay County jury found Falcon guilty of First Degree Murder and she was sentenced to life in prison on May 11, 1999.
In 2012, the Florida Supreme Court remanded the case back to Bay County for an “individualized sentencing hearing” in conformity with United States Supreme Court’s decisions holding that juveniles who are sentenced to life in prison are entitled to present evidence regarding their immaturity and other factors relevant to adolescent behavior. Judge Clark conducted a new sentencing hearing on March 2-3, 2020, where both the state and the defense presented evidence directed towards Florida’s new juvenile sentencing factors.
Falcon could have received a sentence of “time served”, life in prison, or a term of years short of life. Judge Brantley Clark filed a twenty page written order detailing the factors that justified a life sentence for Rebecca Falcon for the pre-meditated murder of Richard Phillips. “I am relieved for the surviving family of Mr. Phillips. Having to relive this experience has been extremely hard on them.” said prosecutor, Bob Sombathy.
Under Florida law, Rebecca Falcon will be entitled to a sentence review fifteen years from the date of her sentence
Rebecca Falcon News
A woman who was convicted of the 1997 murder of 25-year-old taxi driver Richard Phillips when she was 15-years old, will remain in prison after an appeals court decided to uphold her life sentence.
In 2020, Rebecca Falcon received a new sentencing, after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in 2012 that it’s unconstitutional to sentence juveniles to life without the possibility of parole.
The case came back to Circuit Judge Brantley Clark, who resentenced Falcon to life with the possibility of parole after 15 years. She appealed to the First District Court of Appeals, which has now upheld Clark’s ruling.
One of the appellate judges said Falcon has not accepted responsibility for her actions or shown that she is truly remorseful.
Falcon is now 40 years old and won’t be eligible for parole until she’s 53.