TEDRICK PAGE, APPELLANT,
v.
THE STATE OF FLORIDA, APPELLEE
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Tedrick Page appealed his second-degree murder conviction, challenging the jury instruction on manslaughter as a lesser included offense. The Third District Court of Appeal affirmed the conviction, holding that the manslaughter instruction, though internally inconsistent, does not constitute fundamental error requiring reversal.
The instruction does not constitute fundamental error. Although the instruction is internally inconsistent, it is not fundamentally erroneous because it is only partially incorrect, could have been cured by timely objection, and lacks the characteristic that fundamental error cannot be remedied by objection.
[1] A jury instruction that is internally inconsistent regarding the intent required for manslaughter by act is not fundamental error.
[2] A jury instruction is not fundamental error if the erroneous portion could have been cured by a timely objection.
Previewing 2 of 5 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 present instruction is (a) "only" internally inconsistent, and thus at least partially correct on the intent issue so that (b) the erroneous part (that manslaughter by act requires an "intent to kill," which we know from Montgomery, it does not) could have been easily remedied by a statement which called the defect to the trial court's attention.”
Establishes the court's reasoning that partial correctness and curability by objection preclude a finding of fundamental error.
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Join FLexlaw to unlock all legal intelligencePage was convicted of second-degree murder. At trial, the jury received an instruction on manslaughter as a lesser included offense that contained con…
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This is an appeal from a conviction of second degree murder as charged. The only point presented arises from the fact that the jury was instructed in accordance with the “interim” manslaughter by act instruction, see In re Standard Jury Instructions in Criminal Cases (2007-10), 997 So.2d 403, 404-405 (Fla.2008), as follows:
To prove the crime of manslaughter as a lesser included offense to second degree *526murder, the State must prove the following two elements beyond a reasonable doubt: One[, the victim] is dead. And two[, the defendant] intentionally caused the death of [the victim.]
However, the defendant cannot be guilty of manslaughter if the killing was either justifiable or excusable homicide as I have previously explained those terms to you.
In order to convict of manslaughter by intentional act, it is not necessary for the State to prove that the defendant had a premeditated intent to cause death, only an intent to commit an act which caused death.
(emphasis added). The issue before us is whether that instruction, like the prior version involved in State v. Montgomery, 39 So.3d 252 (Fla.2010), approving, 70 So.3d 603 (Fla. 1st DCA 2009), is fundamental error. As in the controlling case of Figueroa v. State, 77 So.3d 714 (Fla. 3d DCA 2011), we hold that it is not and therefore affirm.
The First District has held that the instruction, which is obviously contradictory on its face — saying both that it is and is not necessary to have an intention to cause death — not only does not obviate the Montgomery defect, but that it is fundamentally erroneous, requiring a new trial even in the absence of preservation below. Accord Williams v. State, 50 So.3d 1207 (Fla. 1st DCA 2010); Riesel v. State, 48 So.3d 885, 886-87 (Fla. 1st DCA 2010); Pryor v. State, 48 So.3d 159, 163 (Fla. 1st DCA 2010). This Court, however, squarely held to the contrary in Figueroa. Accord Daniels v. State, 46 So.3d 630 (Fla. 3d DCA 2010); Morgan v. State, 42 So.3d 862 (Fla. 4th DCA 2010). We both agree with and are bound by that decision. See also Moore v. State, 57 So.3d 240 (Fla. 3d DCA 2011) (alternative holding; citing Morgan with approval).1
Briefly and probably unnecessarily to add to the comprehensive discussions in Figueroa and Daniels, are the observations that the present instruction is (a) “only” internally inconsistent, and thus at least partially correct on the intent issue so that (b) the erroneous part (that manslaughter by act requires an “intent to kill,” which we know from Montgomery, it does not) could have been easily remedied by a statement which called the defect to the trial court’s attention. Thus, one of the most basic elements of fundamental error — that is, it can not be cured by timely objection — does not exist.
Moreover, it is difficult to believe, much less hold, that the Supreme Court would even “authorize” a purportedly curative instruction which was fundamentally wrong.
Affirmed, direct conflict is certified with Williams, Riesel and Pryor.
Cases With Similar Vibessemantic neighbors from the corpus
Citator
Cited By
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Molina v. State, 150 So. 3d 1280 (Fla. 3d DCA 2014)…d conflict with the First District’s decision in Riesel, thus ultimately affording Molina relief through the direct appeals process. See Figueroa v. State, 77 So. 3d 714 (Fla. 3d DCA 2011), quashed, 137 So. 3d 1019 (Fla.2014) (table); Page v. State, 81 So. 3d 525 (Fla. 3d DCA 2012), quashed, 137 So. 3d 1021 (Fla.2014). The State acknowledges the manslaughter jury instruction given at Molina’s trial was erroneous, but argues that because a proper instruction was given for aggravated battery with a deadly wea…
Authorities Cited (11 total)
- State v. Montgomery, 39 So. 3d 252 (Fla. 2010)
- Montgomery v. State, 70 So. 3d 603 (Fla. 1st DCA 2009)
- In re Standard Jury Instructions IN Crim. Cases-Report NO. 2007-10, 997 So. 2d 403 (Fla. 2008)
- In re Amendments TO Standard Jury Instructions IN Crim. Cases - Instruction 7.7, 41 So. 3d 853 (Fla. 2010)
- Riesel v. State, 48 So. 3d 885 (Fla. 1st DCA 2010)
- Pryor v. State, 48 So. 3d 159 (Fla. 1st DCA 2010)
- Morgan v. State, 42 So. 3d 862 (Fla. 4th DCA 2010)
- Baron Moore v. State, 57 So. 3d 240 (Fla. 3d DCA 2011)
- Williams v. State, 50 So. 3d 1207 (Fla. 1st DCA 2010)
- Daniels v. State, 46 So. 3d 630 (Fla. 3d DCA 2010)