Case Explained: Non-Argument Calendar UNITED STATES OF AMERICA v. SHANTIA DAMETRIUS STOVALL

Court: United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit Filed: 2026-06-25 Docket: 4:24-cr-00467-RDP-NAD-1 The eleventh-circuit granted the parties’ joint motion for summary reversal and vacated the defendant’s sentence because the government failed to meet its burden of proving by a preponderance of the evidence that the U.S.S.G. § 2A1.2 cross-reference was properly applied. The court held that the district court clearly erred by relying on disputed facts in the presentence investigation report and unverified assertions by government counsel regarding the presence of bystanders, as these did not constitute admissible evidence under controlling precedent when no stipulation or additional testimony was presented at sentencing. Since the record contained insufficient evidence to support the application of the cross-reference for attempted murder, the court remanded the case for resentencing without addressing whether federal or state definitions of murder should apply. Do It For The Case Law is a news reporting service. Nothing in this episode constitutes legal advice.