MARJORIE O. DAVIS, APPELLANT,
v.
STATE OF FLORIDA, APPELLEE

Fla. 1st DCA | 1986-02-27
No. BG-344
SHIVERS and NIMMONS, JJ., concur.
489 So. 2d 754 Florida District Court of Appeal, First District (1986) Negative Treatment
Cited by 30 cases

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

Davis appeals her 40-year sentence for second-degree murder, which exceeded the guideline range of 12-17 years by 23 years. The court affirmed, finding three of four stated reasons for departure valid under sentencing guidelines, and determining that even absent the invalid reason, the departure sentence would have been imposed.


Holding

The court affirmed the 40-year sentence. Three of the four stated reasons for departure were valid: the cruelty and cold-bloodedness of the crime, abuse of family trust, and the traumatic effect on the victim's child. The fourth reason regarding sanity and absence of battered spouse syndrome was invalid for failing to meet the clear and convincing standard, but the state met its burden showing this invalid reason would not have affected the departure sentence.


Headnotes

[1] The cruelty with which a crime was committed is a valid reason for departing from sentencing guidelines.

[2] Abuse of the trust of a family relationship is a valid ground for departure from sentencing guidelines.

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Key Quotes

“A finding of premeditation would be the equivalent of 'considering crimes for which no conviction were obtained' (i.e., First Degree Murder) which is prohibited as a basis for exceeding guidelines sentences.”

Establishes that courts cannot use unconvicted offenses as basis for guidelines departure, though they can consider the manner of commission.

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Facts & Procedural History

Davis was arrested for shooting her sleeping husband five times at point-blank range, then leaving the house while he attempted to call for help. She …

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Opinion of the Court
JOANOS, Judge.

JOANOS, Judge.

Davis appeals a sentence imposed outside the sentencing guidelines on the grounds that the trial court did not express clear and convincing reasons for the departure. We affirm.

Davis was arrested for the shooting death of her husband. Pursuant to a plea agreement with the State, Davis pled guilty to Second Degree Murder and to Use of a Firearm During the Commission of a Felo ny. The sentence recommended by the guidelines for the murder was 12 to 17 years incarceration. The trial judge exceeded the guidelines sentence by 23 years in imposing the statutory maximum sentence of 40 years.

From the judge’s lengthy written justification for departure from the guidelines sentence it is possible to extract the following four reasons:

1. The cold-blooded nature of the offense.

2. Abuse of the trust of a family relationship.

3. Presence of the victim’s son in the house.

4. Defendant’s sanity and absence of “abused spouse syndrome.”

Davis is correct in arguing that to the extent that “cold-blooded” might denote premeditation it would be an invalid reason on which to base guidelines deviation. A finding of premeditation would be the equivalent of “considering crimes for which no conviction were obtained” (i.e., First Degree Murder) which is prohibited as a basis for exceeding guidelines sentences. Manning v. State, 452 So. 2d 136 (Fla. 1st DCA 1984).

However, in the manner that this judge used the term cold-blooded, it is clear from his written reasons that he was contemplating the cruelty with which this crime was committed. Mrs. Davis fired five shots at her sleeping husband from point blank range, then left the house while he staggered to the phone in another room to call for help. We recently affirmed a thirty-year sentence imposed for Second Degree Murder where the offense was “carried out with particular cruelty ... in the presence of family members” in Scurry v. State, 472 So. 2d 779 (Fla. 1st DCA 1985). The cold-bloodedness of Davis’ offense is a valid reason for departure. It is valid consideration of “circumstances surrounding the crime itself” specifically allowed by 3.701(d)(ll), F.R.Crim.P. See, Garcia and Wilson v. State, 454 So. 2d 714 (Fla. 1st DCA 1984).

Florida recognizes breach of trust or abuse of a relationship as valid grounds for departure from guidelines sentences. Williams v. State, 462 So. 2d 36 (Fla. 1st DCA 1985). Therefore, the trial judge’s second reason for departure is valid.

It is clear that a possible long lasting traumatic effect on a child of the victim is a valid reason for departure from the guidelines. See Casteel v. State, 481 So. 2d 72 (Fla. 1st DCA 1986) and Scurry v. State, supra. That the judge would be able to immediately ascertain whether or not there was such damage is inconceivable so testimony that Davis’ son is doing well while living with his paternal grandparents is not dispositive. The Davis child was removed from the house by police officers after having been awakened during the murder of his father. Upon his mother’s arrest he has been deprived of not only his father, but his mother too.

The fourth reason stated above is an attempt at distilling a reason from the trial judge’s unenumerated reasons for departure. As justification for departure, the statements do not meet the “clear and convincing” standard required by 3.701 F.R. Crim.P. and thus cannot be held as valid reasons.

The State’s argument that because Davis dropped insanity as a defense she cannot bring up evidence of her current mental status and past abusive treatment as mitigating factors in sentencing is without merit. Davis is not estopped from asserting these circumstances in hopes of mitigating her sentence just because they may have been considered in reducing her charge from First Degree Murder. Davis argues that the judge clearly abused his discretion by ignoring hundreds of letters and several witnesses attesting to Ms. Davis’ fine character. We find no abuse of discretion there.

Since we are faced with one invalid and three valid reasons for departing from sentencing guidelines, we are governed by Albritton v. State, 476 So. 2d 158 (Fla. 1985). The State has met its burden of showing beyond a reasonable doubt that the absence of the invalid reason would not have affected the departure sentence.

Accordingly, we affirm.

SHIVERS and NIMMONS, JJ., concur.

Other
JOANOS, Judge.

JOANOS, Judge.

Davis raises a number of points in a motion for rehearing. While we have determined that the motion should be denied, we believe that two points raised should be discussed. First, the extent of the departure from the guidelines sentence and second, whether the evidence is sufficient to uphold the presence of the victim’s son in the house as a clear and convincing reason to depart from the guidelines.

The appellant correctly points out that this court failed to address the extent of the departure from the guidelines in our opinion. However, we did not fail to consider the question.

The extent or degree of departure is subject to appellate review according to Albritton v. State, 476 So. 2d 158 (Fla.1985). We have studied the record and are cognizant of the items pointed out by appellant, including that she had no prior criminal history, was considered by several of her friends to be of good character and the evidence that she had been mistreated by her husband before this incident. We are also aware that the sentence imposed is more than double the maximum guidelines sentence allowed. We have determined that the trial judge had good grounds for departure and that, although one ground was an invalid one, it is clear beyond a reasonable doubt that the exclusion of that ground would not affect the extent of the departure. We find no abuse of discretion in the imposition of the sentence.

The appellant then urges that the holding in State v. Mischler, 488 So. 2d 523 (Fla.S.Ct., 1986) warrants reconsideration of our decision that the presence of the victim’s son in the house at the time of the homicide constituted a clear and convincing reason to depart from the guidelines. Davis emphasizes, and with good reason, that the proof of long-lasting traumatic effect on the son is not proven beyond a reasonable doubt. But this argument misses the point. The point is that Mrs. Davis killed her husband and is subject to sanction. That she chose to do so in the presence of her (and the victim’s) son is a factor considered by the judge as one making the commission of the crime more horrible, a factor which justified exceeding the sentence normally imposed for second degree murder. Misckler has reiterated that reasons for exceeding the guidelines must be clear and convincing to warrant aggravating a sentence. In seeking to define “clear and convincing” the Florida Supreme Court held:

“... ‘clear and convincing reasons’ require that the facts supporting the reasons be credible and proven beyond a reasonable doubt. The reasons themselves must be of such weight as to produce in the mind of the judge a firm belief or conviction, without hesitancy, that the departure is warranted.” Mischler at 525.

In this case, the facts supporting the reason (presence of the son) are credible and proven beyond a reasonable doubt. That is, Mrs. Davis shot Mr. Davis while their son was in the house, their son was removed from the house by police officers, the son no longer has a father or a mother to live with.

Trauma to the son by virtue of his presence at the incident was of concern to the judge. We have previously held that trauma to family members is a valid reason to depart from the guidelines. Casteel v. State, 481 So. 2d 72 (Fla. 1st DCA 1986). Future trauma to the child of the victim, of course, cannot be proved or disproved at this point in time. But commission of this kind of crime in the presence of a child was undoubtedly not figured into the mathematical formula of the guidelines, and commission of this crime in the presence of this child obviously produced in the mind of the judge a firm conviction that the departure was warranted.

Our role, as stated by the Mischler court, is to merely review the reasons given to support departure and determine whether the trial court abused its discretion in finding those reasons clear and convincing. We have done so and find the trial judge acted within his discretion. Accordingly, the motion for rehearing is denied.

SHIVERS and NIMMONS, JJ„ concur.


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Citator

Cited By (15 total)

  • Casteel v. State, 498 So. 2d 1249 (Fla. 1986)
    …logical trauma arising from extraordinary circumstances which are clearly not inherent in the offense charged may properly serve as a clear and convincing reason for departure. See Hankey v. State, 485 So. 2d 827 (Fla.1986); see also Davis v. State, 489 So. 2d 754, 757 (Fla. 1st DCA 1986). The same reasoning leads us to the conclusion that the emotional trauma experienced by the victim’s son who witnessed the sexual assault on his mother may also serve as a clear and convincing reason for departure. Further,…
  • Davis v. State, 517 So. 2d 670 (Fla. 1987)
    …EHRLICH, Justice. We have for review Davis v. State, 489 So. 2d 754 (Fla. 1st DCA 1986), which expressly and directly conflicts with decisions of this Court. We have jurisdiction. Art. V, section 3(b)(3). Davis was arrested for the shooting death of her husband. Pursuant to a plea agreement with the State, Davis pl…
  • Leopard v. State, 491 So. 2d 1284 (Fla. 1st DCA 1986)
    …Likewise, the court may properly consider the circumstances surrounding the offense, including the use of excessive force. Jefferson v. State, 489 So. 2d 860 (Fla. 1st DCA 1986); Stewart v. State, 489 So. 2d 176 (Fla. 1st DCA 1986); Davis v. State, 489 So. 2d 754 (Fla. 1st DCA 1986). The reasonable doubt standard of appellate review for departure sentences mandated by Albritton v. State, 476 So. 2d 158 (Fla.1985), is met in this case because the trial judge’s statement during sentencing unequivocally demons…

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