DAVID LOPEZ, APPELLANT,
v.
THE STATE OF FLORIDA, APPELLEE

Fla. 3d DCA | 2001-03-14
No. 3D99-2379
Before COPE and GERSTEN, JJ., and NESBITT, Senior Judge.
781 So. 2d 473 Florida District Court of Appeal, Third District (2001) Positive Treatment
Cited by 2 cases

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Synopsis

David Lopez appeals his conviction and sentence for armed robbery, attempted armed robbery, and battery. The appellate court affirmed his convictions but vacated and remanded his sentence on the attempted armed robbery count, finding the 40-year sentence with 30-year minimum mandatory was excessive under Florida law.


Holding

The court held that the sentence for attempted armed robbery with a deadly weapon should be no more than 30 years with a minimum mandatory of 10 years under Florida law. The court affirmed the convictions and rejected the defendant's evidentiary arguments.


Headnotes

[1] A sentence imposed under the habitual violent felony offender statute may be vacated and remanded for resentencing when the state confesses error regarding the sentence's…

[2] Evidentiary decisions made by a trial court are reviewed for an abuse of discretion.

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Key Quotes

“defendant's sentence should be no more than thirty years with minimum mandatory of ten years”

The court's holding on the appropriate sentence for attempted armed robbery with a deadly weapon as a habitual violent felony offender.

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Facts & Procedural History

On July 29, 1998, a jury convicted Lopez of three counts of armed robbery with a deadly weapon, one count of attempted armed robbery with a deadly wea…

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Opinion of the Court
PER CURIAM.

PER CURIAM.

On July 29, 1998, a jury returned a verdict finding the defendant guilty of three counts of armed robbery with a deadly weapon, one count of attempted armed robbery with a deadly weapon, and two counts of misdemeanor battery. The trial court sentenced the defendant on October 8, 1998. The trial court found that the defendant qualified to be sentenced as a habitual violent felony offender and sentenced the defendant to concurrent life terms on each of the three armed robbery convictions; the trial court imposed a concurrent sentence of forty years in prison with a thirty year minimum mandatory on the attempted armed robbery conviction.

Defendant argues that it was error for the trial court to convict and sentence him for the crime of attempted robbery with a deadly weapon (count 4), as a habitual violent felony offender with a "forty year prison sentence and a minimum of thirty years. After independently reviewing the record and considering the state’s confession of error, we agree that defendant’s sentence should be no more than thirty years with minimum mandatory of ten years. See §§§ 775.084(4)(b), 777.04(4)(c), 812.13(2)(b). We vacate the sentence at issue and remand for re-sentencing.

We find the remaining points raised to be without merit. The evidentiary decisions the defendant points to as erroneous were either within the court’s discretion, cumulative of evidence already presented, or not properly preserved for our review. See Gulley v. Pierce, 625 So. 2d 45 (Fla. 1st DCA 1993) (concluding decision of whether witness is qualified to testify as expert is factual determination falling within broad discretion of trial court, and trial judge’s ruling in such regard will not be disturbed unless clear abuse of discretion is shown); Seaboard Air Line R. Co. v. Lake Region Packing Ass’n, 211 So. 2d 25, 31 (Fla. 4th DCA 1968) (concluding that the determination of a witness’ qualification to express an opinion, which would include an inquiry into and an evaluation of the basis of the witness’ knowledge, is peculiarly a matter within the realm of the trial judge who should not be reversed in the absence of a clear showing of error); see also Ferguson v. State, 417 So. 2d 639, 641 (Fla.1982) (“[E]ven if the comment is objectionable on some obvious ground, the proper procedure is to request an instruction from the court that the jury disregard the remarks.”)

Accordingly, defendant’s sentence on the attempted robbery Conviction is vacated and the cause remanded for re-sentencing, the balance of the order under review is affirmed.


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Citator

Cited By

  • Betty v. State, 7 So. 3d 586 (Fla. 4th DCA 2009)
    …on is a second degree felony as provided in the attempt statute, section 777.04); see also Williams v. State, 850 So. 2d 656 (Fla. 1st DCA 2003) (citing Whidden and recognizing that attempted armed robbery is a second degree felony); Lopez v. State, 781 So. 2d 473 (Fla. 3d DCA 2001) (recognizing that attempted robbery with a deadly weapon is a second degree felony); Westbrook v. State, 617 So. 2d 782 (Fla. 4th DCA 1993) (directing the trial court to correct the judgment, which erroneously stated that attempte…

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