Court overturns death sentence

The Florida Supreme Court on Thursday overturned the death sentence of a retarded Oldsmar man convicted of killing a man by running over him with a car in 1983.

The court determined that Abron Scott should be sentenced to life because his partner in the crime was sentenced to life, with a minimum sentence of 25 years.

Scott, 27, and a friend, Amos Robinson of Tampa, were convicted of killing Carlos Orellana after kidnapping and robbing him on Oct. 22, 1983. Orellana was taken from a Tampa bar to deserted woods in Oldsmar. There, he was beaten and then run over by his own car. His body was found five days later.

Both men were sentenced to death. The Supreme Court overturned Robinson's death sentence in 1986 and he was later sentenced to life.

Although Scott's appeal was based on several factors, the court said the only reason to overturn Scott's sentence was because Robinson's was overturned.

In its order, the court said, "Scott and Robinson had similar criminal records, were about the same age, had comparable low IQs and were equally culpable participants."

_ LAURA GRIFFIN