TERRY LYN NEAL, APPELLANT,
v.
STATE OF FLORIDA, APPELLEE
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The court held that the jury instruction for attempted felony murder was erroneous because it failed to track the statutory language, constituting fundamental error.
[1] A jury instruction on attempted felony murder must track the language of the relevant statute, including the requirement that the intentional act not be an essential elem…
[2] Providing an incomplete or inaccurate jury instruction on the elements of a criminal offense constitutes fundamental error.
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Join FLexlaw to unlock all legal intelligenceThe defendant was convicted of several crimes, including attempted felony murder. The jury instruction for attempted felony murder did not include a s…
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PETERSON, J.
Terry Lyn Neal, appeals a jury verdict finding him guilty of armed robbery, attempted armed robbery, attempted felony murder, and aggravated battery with a deadly weapon. Neal also appeals the court’s denial of his motion for a new trial and his judgment and sentence of 127.5 months in the Department of Corrections. We find no merit in his points on appeal except for his claim that the jury was erroneously instructed on the crime of attempted felony murder. Neal claims that the trial court erred when it instructed the jury on attempted felony murder because the instruction failed to track section 782.051(1), Florida Statutes (1999). Instead, it was based upon the common-law definition of felony murder, which was overturned in State v. Gray, 654 So. 2d 552 (Fla.1995).1 See Standard Jury Instructions in Criminal Cases (94-1), 639 So. 2d 602, 602-03 (Fla.1994); Standard Jury Instructions in Criminal Cases (93-1), 636 So. 2d 502, 504-05 (Fla.1994).
In Amlotte v. State, 456 So. 2d 448, 449 (Fla.1984), abrogated by, State v. Gray, 654 So. 2d 552, our supreme court determined that the common-law elements of attempted felony murder were (1) perpetrating, or attempting to perpetrate an enumerated felony and, (2) during the commission of the enumerated felony, committing an intentional overt act, or aiding and abetting the commission of an intentional overt act, which could, but does not, cause the death of another. The court reasoned that because the attempt occurs during the commission of a felony, the law presumes the existence of the specific intent required to prove attempt, as it does under the felony murder doctrine. See Gray, 654 So. 2d at 553 (citing Amlotte, 456 So. 2d at 449-50).
However, our supreme court reversed itself in Gray by declaring that the crime of attempted felony murder did not exist. In response to Gray, the Legislature passed section 782.051(1) again making attempted felony murder a crime. Section 782.051(1) provides that:
Any person who perpetrates or attempts to perpetrate any felony enumerated in s. 782.04(3) and who commits, aids, or abets an intentional act that is not an essential element of the felony and that could, but does not, cause the death of another commits a felony of the first degree, punishable by imprisonment for a term of years not exceeding life .... (emphasis added).
In the instant case, the court gave the following instruction for attempted felony murder (count III).
Before you can find the defendant guilty of Attempted Felony Murder as charged in count III of the information, the State must prove the following three elements beyond a reasonable doubt:
1. Vaughn E. Decker is not dead.
2. The attempted murder occurred as a consequence of and while Terry Lyn Neal or an accomplice were attempting to commit robbery or were escaping from the immediate scene of the attempted robbery as charged in count II.
3. The Attempted Felony Murder was attempted on Vaughn E. Decker by a person other than Terry Lyn Neal; but both Terry Lyn Neal and the person who attempted Felony Murder were principals in the commission of the attempted felony of robbery.
In order to convict of Attempted Felony Murder, it is not necessary for the state to prove that the defendant had a premeditated design or intent to kill.
This instruction closely tracks the pre-Gray standard jury instruction for attempted felony murder. See generally Standard Jury Instructions in Criminal Cases (94-1), 639 So. 2d at 602-03; Standard Jury Instructions in Criminal Cases (93-1), 636 So. 2d at 504-05. Further, the instruction given to the instant jury failed to mention the phrase “that is not an essential element of the felony,” as written in the statute. Charging the jury with “an incomplete and inaccurate instruction on the law is fundamental error where the error relates to the elements of the criminal offense.” Hubbard v. State, 751 So. 2d 771, 772 (Fla. 5th DCA 2000) (quoting Ward v. State, 655 So. 2d 1290, 1291-92 (Fla. 5th DCA 1995) (citing State v. Delva, 575 So. 2d 643 (Fla.1991); Brumbley v. State, 453 So. 2d 381 (Fla.1984); Jones v. State, 656 So. 2d 489 (Fla. 4th DCA 1995); Johnson v. State, 632 So. 2d 1062 (Fla. 5th DCA 1994))). We agree with Neal’s assertion that this phrase is a necessary element of the crime.
Accordingly, because the instruction in the instant case did not track the language of the statute and because the State indicated in its brief that the “trial court may have misinstructed the jury,” we find it necessary to remand for a new trial on count III. See generally Hubbard, 751 So. 2d at 772.
We affirm the convictions on counts I, II, and IV, but vacate the judgment of guilt on Count III and remand for a new trial and resentencing.
AFFIRMED in part; REVERSED in part; and REMANDED.
SAWAYA and PLEUS, JJ., concur. . We_note there are no standard jury instructions for the newly defined attempted felony murder.
Cases With Similar Vibessemantic neighbors from the corpus
Citator
Cited By
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Thompson v. State, 814 So. 2d 1103 (Fla. 4th DCA 2002)…ruction fundamentally flawed and mandates reversal. We agree. Although this is our first opportunity to discuss this issue, the fifth district has recently ruled on the validity of similar attempted felony murder jury instructions in Neal v. State, 783 So. 2d 1102 (Fla. 5th DCA 2001),1 and then King v. State, 800 So. 2d 734 (Fla. 5th DCA 2001).2 Both panels focused on the absence of the statutory phrase “that is not an essential ele- [*1106] merit of the felony.” Each held that this language “ ‘is a necessary…
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King v. State, 800 So. 2d 734 (Fla. 5th DCA 2001)…1 (Fla. 4th DCA Oct.3, 2001); Anderson v. State, 780 So. 2d 1012 (Fla. 4th DCA 2001). If the trial court issues an incomplete or inaccurate jury instruction, fundamental error may occur if the error relates to an element of the crime. Neal v. State, 783 So. 2d 1102 (Fla. 5th DCA 2001); Anderson; Hubbard v. State, 751 So. 2d 771 (Fla. 5th DCA 2000); Jones v. State, 666 So. 2d 995 (Fla. 5th DCA 1996). However, in order for the error in the instruction to be fundamental, it must pertain to an element of the crime…
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Reyes v. State, 783 So. 2d 1129 (Fla. 3d DCA 2001)…need be said about these rulings than that they were both reversibly incorrect, see Weiand v. State, 732 So. 2d 1044 (Fla.1999)(self-defense); Smith v. State, 87 Fla. 502, 100 So. 738 (1924)(intent to cause injury element of offense); Neal v. State, 783 So. 2d 1102 (Fla. 5th DCA 2001)(same), and cases cited; Viveros v. State, 699 So. 2d 822 (Fla. 4th DCA 1997)(misinstruetion as to element of offense reversible error); Perriman v. State, 731 So. 2d 1243 (Fla.1999)(stressing importance of adhering to standard ju…
Previewing 3 of 4 citing cases — full citator treatment, depth of discussion, and citing context are member features.
Join FLexlaw to unlock all legal intelligenceAuthorities Cited (11 total)
- State v. Collin Gray, 654 So. 2d 552 (Fla. 1995)
- D'Angelo v. State, 575 So. 2d 643 (Fla. 1991)
- State v. Batraville Vincent Delva, 575 So. 2d 643 (Fla. 1991)
- Amlotte v. State, 456 So. 2d 448 (Fla. 1984)
- Jones v. State, 656 So. 2d 489 (Fla. 4th DCA 1995)
- STANDARD JURY INSTRUCTIONS IN CRIM. CASES (93-1), 636 So. 2d 502 (Fla. 1994)
- Brumbley v. State, 453 So. 2d 381 (Fla. 1984)
- Ward v. State, 655 So. 2d 1290 (Fla. 5th DCA 1995)
- STANDARD JURY INSTRUCTIONS IN CRIM. CASES (94-1), 639 So. 2d 602 (Fla. 1994)
- Johnson v. State, 632 So. 2d 1062 (Fla. 5th DCA 1994)