STATE OF FLORIDA, PETITIONER,
v.
RONALD RIGGINS, RESPONDENT

Fla. | 1996-12-19
No. 87949
OVERTON, SHAW, GRIMES, HARDING, WELLS and ANSTEAD, JJ., concur.
684 So. 2d 818 Florida Supreme Court (1996) Positive Treatment
Cited by 2 cases

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Holding

The court held that where a conviction for attempted felony murder is vacated, retrial on lesser included offenses instructed upon is permissible. The defendant may be tried on offenses equal to or lesser than the vacated offense.


Facts & Procedural History

Defendant was charged with attempted second-degree murder of a law enforcement officer and convicted of the lesser offense of attempted third-degree f…

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Opinion of the Court
PER CURIAM.

PER CURIAM.

We have for review a decision certifying the following questions to be of great public importance:

ONCE A DEFENDANT IS CHARGED WITH ATTEMPTED SECOND DEGREE (DEPRAVED MIND) MURDER OF A LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICER AND IS CONVICTED BY A JURY OF THE LESSER OFFENSE OF ATTEMPTED THIRD DEGREE FELONY MURDER, A NONEXISTENT OFFENSE, DOES STATE V. GRAY, 654 So. 2d 552 (Fla.1995), PERMIT THE TRIAL COURT, UPON REVERSAL OF THE CONVICTION AND REMAND, TO ENTER JUDGMENT FOR' THE OFFENSE OF RESISTING ARREST WITH VIOLENCE, A LESSER INCLUDED OFFENSE OF THE CRIME CHARGED?

IF THE ANSWER IS NO, THEN DO LESSER INCLUDED OFFENSES OF THE CHARGED OFFENSE REMAIN VIABLE FOR A NEW TRIAL?

Riggins v. State, 671 So. 2d 244, 245 (Fla. 1st DCA 1996) We have jurisdiction. Art. V, § 3(b)(4), Fla. Const. We answered these questions in State v. Wilson, 680 So. 2d 411 (Fla.1996), by holding that where a conviction for attempted felony murder has been vacated on the basis of our opinion in Gray, the proper remedy is retrial on any lesser included offense which was instructed on at trial. Here, Riggins’ conviction for attempted third-degree felony murder means he was effectually acquitted of the charged offense of attempted second-degree murder of a law enforcement officer. He may therefore be tried on the other offenses instructed on below which were equal to or lesser than attempted third-degree felony murder: resisting an officer with violence and resisting an officer without violence. Accordingly, we answer part one of this certified question in the negative and part two of this certified question in the affirmative.

We answer the certified questions as explained above. The decision of the district court is approved in part and quashed in part. The case is remanded for proceedings consistent with this opinion.

It is so ordered. OVERTON, SHAW, GRIMES, HARDING, WELLS and ANSTEAD, JJ., concur.


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Citator

Cited By

  • Markham Young v. State, 695 So. 2d 819 (Fla. 4th DCA 1997)
    …felon, and pleaded guilty to that charge after trial. In accord with the state’s concession, we reverse Young’s conviction for attempted third degree felony murder on the authority of State v. Gray, 654 So. 2d 552 (Fla.1995). Under State v. Riggins, 684 So. 2d 818 (Fla. 1996), a defendant convicted of attempted third degree felony murder may after remand be tried on “other offenses instructed on below which were equal to or lesser than attempted third-degree felony murder-” Id. at 818. Therefore, we remand fo…

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