WILLIAM ALVARADO, APPELLANT,
v.
STATE OF FLORIDA, APPELLEE
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William Alvarado was convicted by jury of attempted second-degree murder and shooting into a vehicle. He appeals, arguing that the trial court's jury instruction on self-defense improperly shifted the burden of proof to him by requiring the defendant to prove elements of aggravated assault, violating fundamental principles of criminal procedure and entitling him to reversal.
The court held that the jury instruction constituted fundamental error requiring reversal and a new trial because the erroneous language improperly shifted the burden of proof to the defendant in violation of fundamental principles of criminal procedure. The court was bound by precedent in Montijo v. State, which established this principle.
[1] A jury instruction that defines aggravated assault by stating that the assault was made with a deadly weapon, rather than requiring proof that the defendant used a deadly…
[2] An erroneous jury instruction that improperly shifts the burden of proof to the defendant constitutes fundamental error requiring reversal and a new trial, even if the de…
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Join FLexlaw to unlock all legal intelligence“The defendant is not required to present evidence or prove anything.”
This correct statement in the jury instruction was insufficient to cure the burden-shifting error created by other portions of the instruction requiring defendant to prove elements of aggravated assault.
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Join FLexlaw to unlock all legal intelligenceAlvarado was charged with attempted second-degree murder and shooting into a vehicle. At trial, self-defense was apparently a central issue. The trial…
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William Alvarado appeals the judgment rendered after the jury returned a verdict finding him guilty of attempted second-degree murder and shooting into a vehicle. Defendant argues that the jury instruction given by the trial court on self-defense improperly shifted the burden of proof to him, depriving him of his sole defense and creating fundamental error requiring re*81versal. Defendant argues fundamental error because he did not object to the jury instruction.
At the conclusion of closing arguments, the trial court gave instructions on the charged offense, the lesser-included offenses, and the definitions. The trial court then began instructing on self-defense. It gave the instruction on deadly force and thereafter instructed on aggravated assault:
The use of deadly force is justifiable only if the defendant reasonably believes that the force is necessary to prevent imminent death or great bodily harm to himself while resisting: One, another’s attempt to murder him, or; two, any attempt to commit aggravated assault upon him, or; three, any attempt to commit aggravated assault upon him or in any dwelling, residence, or vehicle occupied by him.
Aggravated assault is defined as follows: To prove the crime of aggravated assault, the following four elements must be proven beyond a reasonable doubt. The first three elements define assault:
[The victim] intentionally and unlawfully threatened, either by word or act, to do violence to [Defendant]; two, at the time, [the victim] appeared to have the ability to carry out the threat; three, the act of [the victim] created in the mind of [Defendant] a well-founded fear that the violence was about to take place; four, the assault was made with a deadly weapon.
(Emphasis added). No objection was made to this jury instruction. The court also instructed the jury that if it had reasonable doubt whether Defendant was justified in the use of deadly force, it should find Defendant not guilty and that “[t]he defendant is not required to present evidence or prove anything.”
Defendant argues, and the State agrees, that the instructions are very similar to the instructions given in Montijo and that the erroneous language, emphasized above, is identical. Therefore, both parties agree that the decision in Montijo v. State, 61 So.3d 424 (Fla. 5th DCA 2011), dictates the outcome of this case. Montijo holds that a jury instruction containing this erroneous language constitutes fundamental error and requires reversal and a new trial because the error improperly shifts the burden of proof to the defendant. The State contends, however, that Montijo is wrongly decided and suggests that it be reconsidered by this court. We are bound by Montijo, and accordingly, we reverse Defendant’s convictions and remand for a new trial.
REVERSED and REMANDED.
GRIFFIN and SAWAYA, J.J., and MONACO, D.A., Senior Judge, concur.
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Cited By
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Marissa Alexander v. State, 121 So. 3d 1185 (Fla. 1st DCA 2013)…cessary to present evidence that his justification might be true. It would then be up to the jury to decide whether his evidence produced a reasonable doubt about his claim of self-defense. Id. at 279 (footnote omitted). See also Alvarado v. State, 98 So. 3d 80, 81 (Fla. 5th DCA 2012) (reaffirming Montijo on similar self-defense instructions). . The jury instruction provided: JUSTIFIABLE USE OF DEADLY FORCE An issue in this case is whether the defendant acted in self-defense. It is a defense to the offe…
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Jackson v. State, 179 So. 3d 443 (Fla. 5th DCA 2015)…th repeating that a jury instruction that shifts the burden of proof to the defendant to prove beyond a reasonable [*448] doubt'that he or she acted in self-defense, when this is the defendant’s sole defense, is fundamental error. Alvarado v. State, 98 So. 3d 80, 81 (Fla. 5th DCA 2012) (citing Montijo v. State, 61 So. 3d 424, 427 (Fla. 5th DCA 2011)); Fields v. State, 988 So. 2d 1185, 1190 (Fla. 5th DCA 2008); Novak v. State, 974 So. 2d 520, 522 (Fla. 4th DCA 2008); Murray v. State, 937 So. 2d 277, 282 (Fla…
Authorities Cited
- Michael v. Montijo, 61 So. 3d 424 (Fla. 5th DCA 2011)