In Columbia County, Sanders was charged and convicted of aiding and abetting an armed robbery with a firearm and one county of burglary while armed. In Broward, Willis was charged with armed kidnaping but convicted of false imprisonment, a lesser-included offense. He was also charged and convicted of robbery with a firearm. Sanders challenged his convictions, arguing his trial attorney was ineffective for failing to ask that the jury be instructed on the lesser included offense of robbery with a weapon. Willis made a similar challenge regarding his robbery convictions. The 1st District Court of Appeal disagreed with Sanders; the 4th District Court of Appeal agreed with Willis and sent the issue to the Supreme Court to settle.