JESSE LEE KOENIG, SR., APPELLANT,
v.
STATE OF FLORIDA, APPELLEE
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Koenig was convicted of aggravated manslaughter of a child and child abuse. He appealed arguing that child abuse is subsumed within the manslaughter charge under Florida's statutory merger doctrine. The court affirmed his convictions, holding that child abuse and aggravated manslaughter are distinct offenses with different elements and do not merge.
Child abuse is not subsumed in aggravated manslaughter of a child. The offenses have distinct elements: manslaughter requires the death of a child and culpable negligence, while child abuse requires an intentional act and does not require death. Separate convictions do not violate double jeopardy.
[1] Child abuse is not subsumed within the statutory elements of aggravated manslaughter of a child.
[2] A conviction for aggravated manslaughter of a child and a conviction for child abuse do not violate the same-elements test for double jeopardy.
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“Child abuse is not subsumed in a charge of aggravated manslaughter of a child. Further, child abuse and the manslaughter charge do not pass the same-elements test. Manslaughter requires the death of a child, but child abuse does not. Child abuse requires, by definition, an intentional act; the manslaughter charge, by its terms, requires culpable negligence and not intent.”
Establishes the court's core holding that the offenses have distinct elements and do not merge
Previewing 1 of 3 key quotes on this case — the court’s exact language, pinpointed for members.
Join FLexlaw to unlock all legal intelligenceKoenig was charged with first degree felony murder (with aggravated child abuse as the predicate), aggravated child abuse, and aggravated manslaughter…
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HARRIS, J.
This is another case which raises an issue under section 775.021(4)(b), Florida Statutes. Specifically, the issue is what constitutes “a lesser offense the statutory elements of which are subsumed by the greater .offense.” Defendant herein was charged with first degree felony murder with the predicate felony being “aggravat ed” child abuse. He was charged separately with aggravated child abuse and aggravated manslaughter of a child. Had he been convicted of first degree felony murder, then appellant concedes that under Florida’s interpretation of section 775.021(4) in Boler v. State, 678 So. 2d 319 (Fla.1996), a conviction also for the predicated felony, aggravated child abuse, would be appropriate. But the jury, obviously finding only “simple” child abuse and not aggravated child abuse, returned a verdict of guilt of third degree felony murder. Still, under the Boler principle, appellant concedes, that convictions for both third degree felony murder and its predicate felony, child abuse, would be appropriate
However, this case is complicated by the fact that the court dismissed the third degree felony conviction upon the State’s motion because defendant was also convicted of aggravated manslaughter of a child, a more serious offense. Hence, Florida’s law on felony murder is not here involved.
Instead, we have a conviction for aggravated manslaughter of a child under section 782.07(3) (which incorporates for its definition section 827.03(3)) and also for simple child abuse (also defined under sfection 827.03(3)). Appellant urges that clearly child abuse must be subsumed in the manslaughter charge because the statute criminalizing child abuse was incorporated by reference into the manslaughter statute. We disagree.
The elements of aggravated manslaughter of a child' are (1) defendant caused the death of one under eighteen and (2) did so “by culpable negligence under s. 827.03(3).” Section 827.03 criminalizes the willful or culpably negligent “neglect” of a child which causes great bodily harm to a child, making it a second degree ’ felony. Such statute also criminalizes the willful or culpably negligent “neglect” of a child which does not cause great bodily harm, making it a third degree felony.
Section 782.07(3), in effect, adds a third “culpably negligent” charge by criminalizing neglect which causes the death of the child, making it a first degree felony. Although section 782.07(3) incorporated section 827.03(3) in its definition, it does so only as said section relates to culpable negligence. Child abuse is not subsumed in a charge of aggravated manslaughter of a child. Further, child abuse and the manslaughter charge do not pass the same-elements test. Manslaughter requires the death of a child, but child abuse does not. Child abuse requires, by definition, an intentional act; the manslaughter charge, by its terms, requires culpable negligence and not intent. Indeed, a death occurring as a result of child abuse, aggravated or simple, would be either first or third degree felony murder and not aggravated manslaughter of a child.
We find that there is no Double Jeopardy involvement in this case.
Appellant also argues the court erred in giving the instruction to the jury that although this was a charge of first degree murder, the State was not seeking the death penalty. The court not only advised the jury that the State was not seeking the death penalty, but also advised it that in the event of a conviction “the sentencing will be solely at the discretion of the trial judge.” Not only should the charge not have been given, but it contained a misstatement of the law. Had the defendant been convicted of first degree felony murder, the court would have had no discretion but to sentence defendant to life in prison. But we find the error harmless. Defendant was not convicted of first degree felony murder and we find there is no possibility that the jury was influenced by the erroneous charge in reaching the conclusion that it did.
The State has stipulated that the judgment on the child abuse conviction is in error in that it reflects a conviction of aggravated child abuse. This error should be corrected on remand. AFFIRMED but remanded for the correction of the judgment.
PETERSON, J., concurs.
DAUKSCH, J., concurs with result only.
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Dougherty v. State, 813 So. 2d 217 (Fla. 2d DCA 2002)…child abuse as a lesser-included of first-degree murder (felony murder). See State v. McDonald, 785 So. 2d 640 (Fla. 2d DCA 2001); Raford v. State, 792 So. 2d 476 (Fla. 4th DCA), review granted, 790 So. 2d 1107 (Fla.2001); see also Koenig v. State, 757 So. 2d 595 (Fla. 5th DCA 2000). In summary, we affirm the denial of suppression of Mr. Dougherty’s incriminating statements to Ms. Martin, but reverse the conviction and sentence and remand for a new trial in accordance with this opinion and the opinion in Do…
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Jaren Ashley Hare v. State, 114 So. 3d 252 (Fla. 5th DCA 2013)…age of eighteen “by culpable negligence under s. 827.03(3),” the criminal child neglect statute.7 § 782.07(3), Fla. Stat. (2009); Fla. Std. Jury. Inst. (Crim.) 7.7; see Ramos v. State, 89 So. 3d 1119, 1120 n. 1 (Fla. 1st DCA 2012); Koenig v. State, 757 So. 2d 595, 596 (Fla. 5th DCA 2000). In turn, to prove child neglect under section 827.03(3), Florida Statutes (2009), the State is required to prove that the defendant acted willfully or with culpable negligence in creating a situation or allowing a dangerous…1 / 2
Authorities Cited
- Afghari Boler v. State, 678 So. 2d 319 (Fla. 1996)