DAVID A. WHYTE, APPELLANT,
v.
STATE OF FLORIDA, APPELLEE
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David Whyte was convicted of aggravated battery with a firearm as a lesser included offense of attempted second degree murder arising from shooting his wife. The court reversed the conviction on count I and remanded to reinstate the conviction on count II, finding the trial court erroneously vacated the proper conviction after determining Whyte could only be convicted once for the same conduct.
The court held that aggravated battery was not a proper lesser included offense because the information failed to allege the required elements of aggravated battery. However, because trial counsel failed to object to the instruction or verdict form, the error was not preserved for appeal. The court reversed the conviction on Count I and remanded to reinstate the conviction on Count II.
[1] A jury instruction on a permissive lesser included offense is improper unless both the accusatory pleading and the evidence support the commission of that offense.
[2] Aggravated battery is not a lesser included offense of attempted second-degree murder if the accusatory pleading fails to allege the elements required for aggravated batt…
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Join FLexlaw to unlock all legal intelligence“Generally, a jury instruction cannot be given on a permissive lesser included offense unless both the accusatory pleading and the evidence support the commission of that offense.”
Establishes the legal standard for lesser included offense instructions.
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Join FLexlaw to unlock all legal intelligenceWhyte shot his wife in the arm. He was charged with attempted second degree murder with a firearm (Count I) and aggravated battery with a firearm (Cou…
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ORFINGER, J.
After shooting his wife in the arm, David Whyte was arrested and charged with attempted second degree murder with a firearm (Count I) and aggravated battery with a firearm (Count II). Both charges arose from the same episode involving a single gunshot.
At trial, the court instructed the jury on the crime of aggravated battery with a firearm as a lesser included offense of the attempted second degree murder charge. No objection was made by the defense.
The jury found Whyte guilty of aggravated battery with a firearm, as a lesser included offense of attempted second degree murder in count I, and aggravated battery with a firearm as to count II. In consultation with the parties, the trial court then concluded that Whyte could only be convicted of one count of aggravated battery, and sentenced Whyte on count I, aggravated battery with a firearm as a lesser offense of attempted second degree murder.
The trial court vacated Whyte’s conviction for aggravated battery with a firearm on count II.
On appeal, Whyte asserts that on the facts of this case, aggravated battery with a firearm is not a lesser included offense of attempted second degree murder, and, thus, he was improperly convicted of a crime for which he was not charged.
As to the attempted second degree murder charge, the information read:
[The State Attorney charges] that [Whyte] did unlawfully, by an act imminently dangerous to another, and evincing a depraved mind, regardless of human life, although without any premeditated design to effect the death of any particular individual, attempt to kill and murder, a human being, by pointing a firearm, in Lorene Whyte’s direction and firing, and in the course thereof, DAVID ALEXANDER WHYTE did discharge said firearm, in violation of Florida Statute 782.04(2), 777.04(1), 775.087(1) and 775.087(2)(a)(2).
(emphasis added).
Generally, a jury instruction cannot be given on a permissive lesser included offense unless both the accusatory pleading and the evidence support the commission of that offense. State v. Von Deck, 607 So. 2d 1388, 1389 (Fla.1992). While aggravated battery may be a permissive lesser included offense of attempted second degree murder depending on the allegations in the information, here, the information as to count I, did not allege that Whyte intentionally or knowingly caused great bodily harm or permanent disability to the victim, as is required to prove aggravated battery. See Lane v. State, 861 So. 2d 451, 453 (Fla. 4th DCA 2003).
Therefore, as Whyte argues, the jury should not have been instructed on aggravated battery as a lesser included offense of attempted second degree murder.
However, Whyte candidly concedes on appeal that his trial counsel did not object to the jury instructions or the verdict form. As a result, the error is not preserved for appellate review. See James v. State, 845 So. 2d 996 (Fla. 5th DCA 2003) (holding that jury instruction errors of this type are not fundamental and cannot be raised for the first time on appeal); see also Ray v. State, 403 So. 2d 956 (Fla.1981).
Whyte urges us to reject our precedent and instead hold that an error such as the one presented here is fundamental and can be raised for the first time on appeal. We decline to do so. Our conclusion to reject Whyte’s argument is premised in part on our opinion in James, and in part on the fact that Whyte’s jury clearly intended that he be convicted of aggravated battery with a firearm. The problem arose only when the trial court erroneously vacated Whyte’s conviction as to count II, rather than recognizing the pleading defect in count I.
The error presented here is clearly harmless. To promote judicial economy and so as to avoid further consideration of the issue in a postconviction proceeding, we reverse the conviction as to count I and remand the matter with directions that the conviction as to count II be reinstated. Because the offenses and penalties are the same, resentencing is unnecessary. However, the trial court shall enter a corrected sentencing order, indicating that Whyte’s conviction is for count II rather than count I.
AFFIRMED IN PART; REVERSED IN PART; REMANDED WITH DIRECTIONS.
PETERSON and TORPY, JJ., concur.
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Gregory v. State, 937 So. 2d 180 (Fla. 4th DCA 2006)…truction and assented to the court’s decision to list trespass and battery separately on the verdict form. We have held that this is not fundamental error. See Giangrasso v. State, 793 So. 2d 71, 73 (Fla. 4th DCA 2001); see generally Whyte v. State, 881 So. 2d 1183 (Fla. 5th DCA 2004); Morris v. State, 658 So. 2d 155, 156 (Fla. 1st DCA 1995) (in non-capital cases failure to instruct on lesser-included offenses is not fundamental error). Although this issue was not preserved for review, we address it to guide…
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Ayala v. State, 976 So. 2d 43 (Fla. 5th DCA 2008)…t such an error in a rule 3.800(b) motion is appropriate. If, however, it is considered an instructional or verdict form error, or a failure of proof, presumably it would be waived unless preserved by a contemporaneous objection. See Whyte v. State, 881 So. 2d 1183 (Fla. 5th DCA 2004). . Because Mr. Ayala’s trial occurred after both Apprendi and Blakely had been issued, [*47] we need not concern ourselves with any question of retroactivity. . When multiple reasons exist to support a departure from a guidelin…
Authorities Cited
- RAY v. State, 403 So. 2d 956 (Fla. 1981)
- State v. von Deck, 607 So. 2d 1388 (Fla. 1992)
- Lane v. State, 861 So. 2d 451 (Fla. 4th DCA 2003)
- Dowite James v. State, 845 So. 2d 996 (Fla. 5th DCA 2003)