Homicide in Pinellas County, Florida
109 cases (2025) · Pinellas County courts
Updated July 2026 · 2025 data
Pinellas County's homicide outcomes show high conviction and imprisonment rates with minimal adjudication withheld. In 2025, 79.8% of the 109 defendants were convicted with no withheld adjudications—a stark contrast to Miami-Dade's 9.3% withheld rate. Dismissals were rare at 1.8%, near the statewide 2.0%, and acquittals minimal at 0.9%. The State Attorney pursued convictions aggressively with few case adjustments.
Prison sentences were among the longest in the sample: average 6,453 days (17.7 years), with a median of 4,240 days (11.6 years). The discrepancy between mean and median suggests some very lengthy sentences. Counsel representation was heavily skewed toward public defenders (20.2%) with only 8.3% private attorneys—the lowest private rate in the homicide sample—indicating a predominantly lower-income defendant population. Probation averaged 2,192 days.
Before Court: State Attorney Decisions
Not every Homicide charge in Pinellas County makes it in front of a judge. Of 158 prosecutor decisions on Homicide charges (2023-2025), the State Attorney declined to file, dropped, or dismissed 25.9% — in line with the 27.9% statewide rate. These decisions happen early in a case, before trial.
Source: Florida Department of Law Enforcement, State Attorney case data (2023-2025). Rates are per charge, not per defendant — a dropped charge often reflects a plea agreement on another charge in the same case, not the case going away. Percentages are of charges receiving a prosecution decision; transfers between courts are excluded. Court outcome data on this page is a separate dataset covering cases that reached disposition. Statewide charging patterns: The Florida Prosecution Report.
Outcome Breakdown (2025)
Exhibit · Case outcomes (2025)
Largest outcomeGuilty — 79.8% of 109 cases.
Source: FDLE Criminal Justice Data Transparency · 109 cases · 2025 — FloridaCourtFile.com
Sentencing Breakdown (2025)
Exhibit · Sentencing when convicted (2025)
Confinement-type detail below is computed across all available years (2023-2025).
| Confinement Type | Count | Avg Sentence |
|---|---|---|
| State Prison Facility | 254 | 13.7 years |
| County Jail | 1 | 6.0 months |
Convicted defendants' full sentencing detail — sentence ranges, fines, prison vs. probation odds: Homicide sentencing in Pinellas County.
Counsel Analysis (2025)
Demographics (2025)
Demographic data reflects systemic patterns in the criminal justice system and should not be used to draw conclusions about any racial or ethnic group. Disparities may reflect differences in policing, prosecution, and socioeconomic factors rather than actual crime rates.
| Race | Cases | Guilty Rate | Dismissal Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Black | 71 | 80.3% | 1.4% |
| White | 27 | 77.8% | 3.7% |
Age Distribution (2025)
Year-Over-Year Trends
Exhibit · Disposition trends
| Year | Cases | Guilty Rate | Dismissal Rate | Avg Sentence |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 109 | 87.2% | 0.0% | 17.9 years |
| 2024 | 96 | 86.5% | 3.1% | 16.7 years |
| 2025 | 109 | 79.8% | 1.8% | 17.7 years |
Quarterly detail
Quarterly figures recompute from monthly disposition counts; quarters with fewer than 30 cases are suppressed.
Charge Level Breakdown
| Level | Degree | Cases |
|---|---|---|
| Felony | Life | 93 |
| Felony | First Degree | 80 |
| Felony | Second Degree | 72 |
| Felony | Capital | 49 |
| Felony | First Degree punishable by life | 17 |
| Felony | Third Degree | 3 |
Related Charges in Pinellas County
Rates shown are 2025 unless marked otherwise.
| Charge | Cases | Guilty Rate | Dismissal Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Drug Possession | 6,868 | 75.7% | 1.5% |
| Other | 6,405 | 14.3% | 0.4% |
| Traffic Offense | 5,465 | 78.3% | 0.6% |
| DUI | 2,355 | 97.8% | 0.7% |
| Trespassing | 2,554 | 85.7% | 4.7% |
| Larceny / Theft | 2,453 | 75.0% | 2.0% |
| Battery | 2,043 | 54.4% | 3.3% |
| Resisting Officer | 1,579 | 78.0% | 1.5% |
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is the guilty rate for Homicide in Pinellas County?
The guilty rate is 79.8% based on 109 cases (2025).
How often is adjudication withheld for Homicide in Pinellas County?
Adjudication is withheld in 0.0% of cases (2025). This is a Florida-specific outcome where the court finds guilt but does not formally convict, allowing the defendant to avoid a conviction record under FL Statute 948.01.
What is the average sentence for Homicide in Pinellas County?
The average sentence is 17.7 years, with an average fine of $226 (2025).
What percentage use a public defender vs private attorney?
20.2% of defendants use a public defender, while 8.3% retain private counsel (2025).
Cite this page
FloridaCourtFile.com (2026). Homicide in Pinellas County, Florida (2025). Based on 109 public court records; last updated July 2026. https://www.floridacourtfile.com/charges/homicide/pinellas
About this data: Statistics are derived from FDLE Criminal Justice Data Transparency records for Pinellas County. "Guilty" includes all cases where the defendant was found guilty. "Adjudication withheld" is a Florida-specific disposition where guilt is found but the court withholds formal adjudication under FL Statute 948.01. "Dismissed" includes all cases dismissed by the court or prosecution.
Source: FDLE Criminal Justice Data Transparency · 109 cases (2025) · Data last updated July 2026 — FloridaCourtFile.com