GEORGE CONYERS, SR., APPELLANT,
v.
STATE OF FLORIDA, APPELLEE
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.
George Conyers, Sr. was convicted of second degree murder for shooting his 18-year-old son after a physical altercation. On appeal, Conyers challenged the sufficiency of the evidence, but the court affirmed, finding the evidence clearly established all elements of second degree murder.
The evidence was sufficient to support the conviction of second degree murder. The defendant's conduct—becoming angry with his son, deliberately obtaining a gun from his bedroom, and shooting his son three times—satisfied the statutory definition of second degree murder beyond any doubt.
[1] Evidence is sufficient to support a conviction for second degree murder when it shows the defendant, angered by his son, deliberately retrieved a weapon and fired it into…
[2] Second degree murder is defined as an unlawful killing perpetrated by an act imminently dangerous to another, evincing a depraved mind, and committed without premeditated…
Previewing 2 of 4 headnotes on this case. FLexlaw’s editorially structured points of law — every proposition, pinpointed — are reserved for members.
Join FLexlaw to unlock all legal intelligence“Murder in the second degree is the unlawful killing of a human being when perpetrated by any act imminently dangerous to another and evincing a depraved mind regardless of human life, although without any premeditated design to effect the death of any particular individual.”
Establishes the statutory definition of second degree murder under Florida law that governs the court's analysis.
Previewing 1 of 3 key quotes on this case — the court’s exact language, pinpointed for members.
Join FLexlaw to unlock all legal intelligenceOn the date of the incident, Conyers and his son George Jr. argued about a bicycle left on the porch. After the argument escalated into a physical fig…
The full statement of facts, procedural history, and disposition for this case are member content.
Join FLexlaw to unlock all legal intelligence© FLexlaw, Inc. — AI-generated enrichments are proprietary. All rights reserved.
Explore caselaw by topic → Browse Ill Will, Hatred, Spite, Or Evil Intent cases and more on FLexlaw
ZEHMER, Judge.
George Conyers, Sr., appeals his conviction of second degree murder for the killing of his son, George Jr., contending that the trial court erred in denying his motion for judgment of acquittal because the state failed to establish a prima facie case of second degree murder. We hold that the evidence is sufficient to support the conviction and affirm.
The state’s evidence consisted primarily of the following testimony. Maria Conyers, the 16-year-old daughter of the defendant and sister of the victim, testified that on the date of her brother’s death she was at home with her parents and two uncles. While she was talking on the phone, her 18-year-old brother came home. She heard her father ask him why he left his bicycle on the porch, and heard her brother reply that it was raining and he did not want the bicycle to get wet. George, Jr., went outside, moved the bicycle off of the porch, and came back inside. The father and son then began arguing and the defendant grabbed his son.' They began physically struggling with one another, falling to the floor, and one of Maria’s uncles broke up the fight. The son then walked into the kitchen. Moments later, while Maria was still on the telephone, she heard three gunshots. She ran into the kitchen and saw her father holding a gun.
Christine Conyers, the defendant’s wife and mother of the victim, testified that she heard the three gunshots. She took the gun from George, Sr., and threw it under the porch steps.
Arthur Harris, the defendant’s nephew, testified that on the night of the shooting he walked into the house while the father and son were fighting and saw George, Jr., let his father get up off of the floor. The son then walked into the kitchen and the defendant walked to his bedroom. After a minute or so the defendant emerged from the bedroom with a pistol. He walked toward the kitchen, stopped at the entrance, and fired the gun into the kitchen three times.
Construing the evidence and inferences to be drawn therefrom most favorably to the state, it is readily apparent that the evidence is sufficient to support the defendant’s conviction of second degree murder.
The jury could lawfully find that the defendant, being angry with his son, deliberately went to his bedroom, obtained a gun, and shot the victim. Murder in the second degree is the unlawful killing of a human being when perpetrated by any act imminently dangerous to another and evincing a depraved mind regardless of human life, although without any premeditated design to effect the death of any particular individual. § 782.04(2), Fla.Stat. (1989).
An act is considered imminently dangerous to another and evincing a depraved mind if it is an act that (1) a person of ordinary judgment would know is reasonably certain to kill or do serious bodily injury to another, (2) is done from ill will, hatred, spite, or an evil intent, and (3) is of such a nature that the act itself indicates an indifference to human life. Marasa v. State, 394 So. 2d 544 (Fla. 5th DCA), rev. denied 402 So. 2d 613 (Fla.1981).
The defendant’s conduct satisfies the statutory definition of second degree murder beyond any doubt.
The defendant argues that Martinez v. State, 360 So. 2d 108 (Fla. 3d DCA 1978), cert. denied 367 So. 2d 1125 (Fla.1979), sets forth a legal basis for reversing his conviction of second degree murder. But that case is materially distinguishable on the facts because the “overwhelming” evidence in Martinez presented a “classic case of manslaughter based on adequate legal provocation.” 360 So. 2d at 109. The evidence against Conyers, on the other hand, did not present a clear-cut case of provocation but showed instead the defendant’s own ill will, hatred, spite, or evil intent toward his son — facts clearly probative of the elements of second degree murder. AFFIRMED.
SMITH and NIMMONS, JJ., concur.
Cases With Similar Vibessemantic neighbors from the corpus
Citator
Cited By
-
Light v. State, 841 So. 2d 623 (Fla. 2d DCA 2003)…, 620 So. 2d 1308 (Fla. 4th DCA 1993). Although exceptions exist, the crime of second-degree murder is normally committed by a person who knows the victim and has had time to develop a level of enmity toward the victim. See, e.g., Conyers v. State, 569 So. 2d 1360 (Fla. 1st DCA 1990) (victim is defendant’s son); Dellinger v. State, 495 So. 2d 197 (Fla. 5th DCA 1986) (victim is defendant’s wife); Larsen v. State, 485 So. 2d 1372 (Fla. 1st DCA 1986) (victim is defendant’s wife). Hatred, spite, evil intent, or i…
-
Billie v. State, 963 So. 2d 837 (Fla. 3d DCA 2007)…would know is reasonably certain to kill or do serious bodily injury to another, (2) is done from ill will, hatred, spite, or an evil intent, and (3) is of such a nature that the act itself indicates an indifference to human life.” Conyers v. State, 569 So. 2d 1360, 1361 (Fla. 1st DCA 1990). . To the extent Billie argues that second-degree murder requires him to have had a specific intent to kill his children when he drove the Tahoe into the canal, that argument has been consistently rejected by Florida court…
-
Sandhaus v. State, 200 So. 3d 112 (Fla. 5th DCA 2016)…83 (Fla. 2d DCA 2008)). “[S]econd-degree murder is normally committed by a person who knows the victim and has had time to develop a level of enmity toward the victim.” Light v. State, 841 So. 2d 623, 626 (Fla. 2d DCA 2003) (citing Conyers v. State, 569 So. 2d 1360 [*115] (Fla. 1st DCA 1990)); see also Morgan, 127 So. 3d at 718. “ ‘[Ejxtreme recklessness’ or ‘an impulsive overreaction to an attack or injury is itself insufficient’ to support a second degree murder conviction.” Antoine v. State, 138 So. 3d 106…
Previewing 3 of 6 citing cases — full citator treatment, depth of discussion, and citing context are member features.
Join FLexlaw to unlock all legal intelligenceAuthorities Cited
- Marasa v. State, 394 So. 2d 544 (Fla. 5th DCA 1981)
- Martinez v. State, 360 So. 2d 108 (Fla. 3d DCA 1978)