LARRY BERNARD PACE, APPELLANT,
v.
STATE OF FLORIDA, APPELLEE
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Larry Pace appeals the denial of his Rule 3.850 motion for postconviction relief based on ineffective assistance of counsel. The court reverses the trial court's summary denial of Pace's claim that his trial counsel instructed a key witness not to appear at trial, finding the attachments to the denial order do not conclusively refute the claim, and affirms denial of the remaining four grounds.
The trial court's summary denial of Pace's ineffective assistance claim was improper because the attached judgment of contempt and order of probation do not conclusively refute the allegation that counsel instructed the victim not to appear. The claim must either proceed to an evidentiary hearing or be denied again with record materials that conclusively refute it.
[1] A claim of ineffective assistance of counsel based on counsel's instruction to a witness not to appear at trial is not conclusively refuted by attachments showing the wit…
[2] Failure to interview and/or call a witness who could have provided exculpatory evidence can constitute ineffective assistance of counsel.
Previewing 2 of 3 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“the failure to call witnesses can constitute ineffective assistance of counsel if the witnesses may have been able to cast doubt on the defendant's guilt, and the defendant states in his motion the witnesses' names and the substance of their testimony, and explains how the omission prejudiced the outcome of the trial”
Establishes the legal standard for ineffective assistance based on failure to call witnesses with exculpatory evidence
Previewing 1 of 3 key quotes on this case — the court’s exact language, pinpointed for members.
Join FLexlaw to unlock all legal intelligencePace was convicted by jury of aggravated battery and battery and sentenced to fifteen years as a habitual offender. Pace claims his trial counsel inst…
The full statement of facts, procedural history, and disposition for this case are member content.
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PER CURIAM.
Larry Pace appeals the summary denial of his motion for postconviction relief filed pursuant to Florida Rule of Criminal Procedure 3.850. We reverse the trial court’s ruling on Pace’s claim of ineffective assistance of counsel for instructing a key witness not to appear at trial because the attachments to the order of denial do not conclusively refute that claim. We affirm the order denying relief on the four remaining grounds without discussion.
Pace was convicted by a jury of one count of aggravated battery and one count of battery and was sentenced to fifteen years in prison as a habitual offender. In his rule 3.850 motion, Pace claims that trial counsel instructed the victim, who was under a State subpoena, not to appear at trial. Pace contends that her testimony would have supported his claim of self-defense and would have established that he did not cause the injuries. He further alleges that trial counsel’s instruction to the victim could not have been a matter of trial strategy because counsel did not interview the victim and, therefore, could not have known the substance of her testimony.
Pace’s claim is analogous to one based on ineffective assistance for failure to interview and/or call a witness who could have provided exculpatory evidence. Counsel’s failure in this regard can constitute ineffective assistance of counsel. See Marrow v. State, 715 So. 2d 1075, 1075 (Fla. 1st DCA 1998) (holding “the failure to call witnesses can constitute ineffective assistance of counsel if the witnesses may have been able to cast doubt on the defendant’s guilt, and the defendant states in his motion the witnesses’ names and the substance of their testimony, and explains how the omission prejudiced the outcome of the trial”). We conclude that Pace has adequately stated a claim of ineffective assistance on this ground.
The trial court denied relief on this claim, reasoning that the victim had been found to have wilfully failed to appear at trial. In support of denial, the trial court attached a copy of the judgment of contempt and order of probation» entered against the victim for failure to appear at Pace’s trial. These attachments, however, fail to conclusively refute Pace’s allegation that the victim was acting on trial counsel’s instruction not to appear. Accordingly, we reverse the ruling on this claim and remand the case to the trial court. On remand, the trial court shall either hold an evidentiary hearing on this ground or again summarily deny the motion, attaching those portions of the record which conclusively refute this claim.
Affirmed in part, reversed in part, and remanded.
BLUE, A.C.J., and FULMER and DAVIS, JJ., Concur.
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Citator
Cited By
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Honors v. State, 752 So. 2d 1234 (Fla. 2d DCA 2000)…counsel if the testimony may have cast doubt on the defendant’s guilt and the defendant states the witness’s name, the [*1236] substance of the testimony, and how the omission of that testimony prejudiced the outcome of the trial. See Pace v. State, 750 So. 2d 57 (Fla. 2d DCA 1999). This court has recognized that the failure to investigate or call an exculpatory witness “presents a prima facie showing of entitlement to relief, subject to rebuttal by evidence from the record or testimony at an evidentiary hea…
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Terrero v. State, 839 So. 2d 873 (Fla. 3d DCA 2003)…he testimony may have cast doubt on the defendant’s guilt and the defendant states the witness’s name, the substance of the testimony, and how the omission of that testimony prejudiced the outcome of the trial. Id. at 1235-36 (citing Pace v. State, 750 So. 2d 57 (Fla. 2d DCA 1999)). The court concluded that Honors had met the Strickland test by showing error and prejudice. Id. at 1236. See Strickland v. Washington, 466 U.S. 668, 687, 104 S.Ct. 2052, 80 L.Ed.2d 674 (1984) (To gain postconviction relief based…
Authorities Cited
- Marrow v. State, 715 So. 2d 1075 (Fla. 1st DCA 1998)