JOHN LANE, APPELLANT,
v.
STATE OF FLORIDA, APPELLEE

Fla. 4th DCA | 2008-10-22
No. 4D07-1230
WARNER and DAMOORGIAN, JJ, concur.
996 So. 2d 226 Florida District Court of Appeal, Fourth District (2008) Positive Treatment
Cited by 1 case

AI-generated. These summaries, headnotes, and key points are machine-generated and may contain errors or omissions. Always verify against the full opinion text below. Not legal advice.

Synopsis

Lane was convicted of first-degree murder and two counts of armed robbery. The court affirmed his convictions but reversed his robbery sentences as unauthorized because the indictment failed to allege that he discharged the firearm or caused great bodily harm, making the 25-year mandatory minimum under Florida's '10-20-Life' statute improper.


Holding

The court affirmed Lane's convictions but reversed the robbery sentences as unauthorized. The 25-year mandatory minimum under section 775.087(2)(a)3 was improper because the indictment did not allege discharge or great bodily harm. The case was remanded for resentencing under section 775.087(2)(a)1, which permits enhancement based on mere possession of a firearm during robbery.


Headnotes

[1] A conviction for a felony offense enumerated in § 775.087(2)(a)1, Florida Statutes, during which the defendant possessed a firearm, can sustain a sentence enhancement und…

[2] To impose an enhanced sentence under § 775.087, Florida Statutes, the grounds for enhancement must be charged in the indictment or information, and the jury must make a f…

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Key Quotes

“To enhance the sentence pursuant to this statute, 'the grounds for enhancement must be charged in the information and the jury must make a factual finding-concerning those grounds.'”

Establishes the procedural requirement that sentencing enhancements must be properly pleaded and proven to a jury.

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Facts & Procedural History

Lane was convicted of first-degree murder and two counts of armed robbery. The indictment charged that during the commission of the robbery felonies, …

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Opinion of the Court
STONE, J.

STONE, J.

We affirm, without discussing, Lane’s conviction and sentence for first-degree murder and convictions on two counts of robbery. We reverse the robbery sentences as unauthorized.

The indictment for the two armed robbery counts reads, in relevant part, that “during the commission of this felony JOHN S. LANE carried, displayed or used a firearm, to wit: a handgun, contrary to Section 812.13(1) and (2)(a) and 775.087 of the Florida Statute.”

Section 775.087, Florida Statutes, provides, in pertinent part:

(2) (a) 1. Any person who is convicted of a felony or an attempt to commit a felony, regardless of whether the use of a weapon is an element of the felony, and the conviction was for:
* * * * *

c. Robbery;

* * *

and during the commission of the offense, such person actually possessed a “firearm” or “destructive device” as those terms are defined in s. 790.001, shall be sentenced to a minimum term of imprisonment of 10 years....

* * * * *

3. Any person who is convicted of a felony or an attempt to commit a felony listed in sub-subparagraphs (a)l.a.-q., regardless of whether the use of a weapon is an element of the felony, and during the course of the commission of the felony such person discharged a “firearm” or “destructive device” as defined in s. 790.001 and, as the result of the discharge, death or great bodily harm ivas inflicted upon any person, the convicted person shall be sentenced to a minimum term of imprisonment of not less than 25 years and not more than a term of imprisonment of life in prison.

§ 775.087(2)(a)1 & 3, Fla. Stat. (emphasis added).

Known as the “10-20-Life” statute, section 775.087 “provides for the enhancement of a crime where a firearm is possessed or used during the commission of certain enumerated crimes.” Jackson v. State, 852 So. 2d 941, 944 (Fla. 4th DCA 2003). To enhance the sentence pursuant to this statute, “the grounds for enhancement must be charged in the information and the jury must make a factual finding-concerning those grounds.” Coke v. State, 955 So. 2d 1216, 1217 (Fla. 4th DCA 2007) (internal quotation and citation omitted).

In Jackson, 852 So. 2d at 944, this court reversed the enhanced sentence pursuant to section 775.087(2)(a)3 where the defendant “was not charged with ‘discharging’ a firearm during the commission of said felony, or of inflicting death or great bodily harm as the result of such.” There, “the information merely charged that Jackson had ‘carried’ a firearm.” Id. However, this court concluded that the “allegation of ‘carrying’ a firearm can sustain a sentence under section 775.087(2)(a)1” and remanded with instructions to resentence pursuant to the proper subsection. Id. at 944-45; cf. Coke, 955 So. 2d at 1217 (affirming the twenty-five year minimum mandatory enhancement where the information (1) expressly referred to the enhancement statute, and (2) alleged that defendant shot victim in the legs, which “advised the defendant of the ‘great bodily harm’ element”).

The trial court sentenced Lane to life without parole on count I (murder), and to life in prison on both counts II and III (armed robbery), with a twenty-five year mandatory minimum sentence under section 775.087(2) and (3).

The indictment did not allege that Lane discharged the firearm or that as a result of that, death or great bodily harm was inflicted. The state concedes that the twenty-five year mandatory minimum sentence “should be stricken.”

Similar to the result in Jackson, we remand for re-sentencing pursuant to section 775.087(2)(a)1, as it appears that the allegation that Lane “carried” a firearm “can sustain a conviction under” that section. Jackson, 852 So. 2d at 944. The other sentencing issue raised is not considered, as it is moot.

WARNER and DAMOORGIAN, JJ, concur.


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