JOSEPH COLEMAN, APPELLANT,
v.
STATE OF FLORIDA, APPELLEE

Fla. 2d DCA | 2013-04-05
No. 2D12-2724
ALTENBERND, CRENSHAW, and BLACK, JJ., Concur.
110 So. 3d 971 Florida District Court of Appeal, Second District (2013) Caution
Cited by 9 cases

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Holding

The court held that appellate counsel was ineffective for failing to argue that the standard jury instruction for attempted manslaughter by act constituted fundamental error. Coleman is entitled to a belated direct appeal on this issue.


Headnotes

[1] The standard jury instruction for attempted manslaughter by act constitutes fundamental error when a defendant is convicted of attempted second-degree murder, as the inst…

[2] Appellate counsel is deemed ineffective for failing to raise the fundamental error of an improper attempted manslaughter by act jury instruction, particularly when prior…

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Facts & Procedural History

Joseph Coleman filed a petition alleging ineffective assistance of appellate counsel for failing to argue that the jury instruction for attempted mans…

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Opinion of the Court
PER CURIAM.

PER CURIAM.

Joseph Coleman raises two grounds for relief in his petition alleging ineffective assistance of appellate counsel filed pursuant to Florida Rule of Appellate Procedure 9.141(d). We deny without comment the claim raised in ground two of the petition. In ground one, Coleman alleges that counsel was ineffective for failing to argue that the standard instruction provided to the jury for attempted manslaughter by act constituted fundamental error. We agree that appellate counsel was ineffective in failing to raise this issue, and we conclude that Coleman is entitled to a belated direct appeal on this issue only.

We first note that subsequent to the filing of the present petition, the supreme court in Williams v. State, — So.2d-, 38 Fla. L. Weekly S99 (Fla. Feb. 14, 2013), held that the use of the standard attempted manslaughter by act instruction constituted fundamental error when the defendant was convicted of attempted second-degree murder because the instruction improperly contained an intent-to-kill element 1 and the offense of attempted manslaughter by act is not more than one step removed from the offense of attempted second-degree murder. Id. at-, S100-02. In determining that the attempted manslaughter by act instruction was fundamentally erroneous under the facts of that case, the court relied on its opinion in State v. Montgomery, 39 So.3d 252, 258 (Fla.2010), which held that the use of the then-standard manslaughter by act *972instruction constituted fundamental error when Montgomery was convicted of second-degree murder because it contained an additional element of intent to kill. Williams, — So.2d at -, 38 Fla. L. Weekly at S101. Citing to Houston v. State, 87 So.3d 1 (Fla. 2d DCA 2011), the supreme court noted that this court was one of the four District Courts of Appeal to hold that the standard manslaughter by act instruction was fundamentally erroneous because it added an intent-to-kill element. Williams, — So.2d at -, 38 Fla. L. Weekly at S102.

We must now determine whether Coleman’s counsel was ineffective in failing to raise the error in the attempted manslaughter instruction. Our decision in this case is controlled by our opinion in Deravil v. State, 98 So.3d 1172, 1173-74 (Fla. 2d DCA 2012), wherein we held that Deravil’s appellate counsel was ineffective in failing to argue that the attempted manslaughter instruction was fundamentally erroneous. Deravil was charged with attempted first-degree premeditated murder and was convicted of the lesser-included offense of attempted second-degree murder with a weapon.2 Both attempted second-degree murder and attempted manslaughter by act are necessarily lesser-included offenses of attempted first-degree premeditated murder. Id. at 1173. Deravil’s jury was provided the standard attempted manslaughter by act instruction which improperly imposed an additional element of intent to kill. Id. Coleman was charged with attempted first-degree murder and convicted of attempted second-degree murder with a firearm.3 Coleman’s jury was also provided the standard attempted manslaughter by act instruction.

The initial brief in Deravil’s direct appeal was filed subsequent to the issuance of the supreme court’s opinion in Montgomery and subsequent to the issuance of Lamb v. State, 18 So.3d 734 (Fla. 1st DCA 2009), approved by Williams, — So.2d at -, 38 Fla. L. Weekly at S100, wherein the First District held that the standard attempted manslaughter by act instruction was fundamentally erroneous. Deravil, 98 So.3d at 1173. The initial brief in Coleman’s direct appeal was also filed subsequent to the issuance of both Montgomery and Lamb. We therefore conclude that Coleman’s appellate counsel rendered ineffective assistance in failing to argue that the attempted manslaughter by act instruction constituted fundamental error. See Deravil, 98 So.3d at 1173-74.

We grant the petition with instructions to the trial court to, within thirty days from the issuance of the mandate in this case, appoint an appellate attorney to file a brief limited to the issue outlined above. Appellate counsel shall, within thirty days from the date of the appointment, file a new notice of appeal and reference this opinion in the notice of appeal.

Petition denied in part and granted in part with directions.

ALTENBERND, CRENSHAW, and BLACK, JJ., Concur.


Cases With Similar Vibessemantic neighbors from the corpus


Citator

Cited By

  • Coleman v. State (Fla. 2d DCA 2020)
    …ed that judgment. Coleman v. State, 63 So. 3d 760 (Fla. 2d DCA 2011). Coleman later filed a petition alleging ineffective assistance of appellate counsel, which this court granted and concluded entitled Coleman to a belated appeal. Coleman v. State, 110 So. 3d 971, 971 (Fla. 2d DCA 2013). In the belated appeal, this court reversed Coleman's conviction and sentence for attempted second-degree murder and remanded for a new trial on that offense. Coleman, 157 So. 3d at 370. However, on remand, Coleman was err…
  • Sanders v. State, 135 So. 3d 413 (Fla. 2d DCA 2014)
    …established that, at least barring unusual circumstances, a defendant is entitled to relief in this context and is entitled to a new trial on the attempted homicide charge. See Pierce v. State, 121 So. 3d 1091 (Fla. 5th DCA 2013); Coleman v. State, 110 So. 3d 971 (Fla. 2d DCA 2013); McClendon v. State, 93 So. 3d 1131 (Fla. 2d DCA 2012); Arnold v. State, [*415] 93 So. 3d 1094 (Fla. 2d DCA 2012). There being no reason to deviate from this law in this case, we grant Mr. Sanders the same relief. Accordingly, Mr.…
  • Coleman v. State, 157 So. 3d 368 (Fla. 2d DCA 2015)
    …ffective for failing to argue on direct appeal that the trial court’s giving of the then-standard jury instruction on the lesser-included offense of attempted manslaughter by act constituted fundamental error requiring a new trial. Coleman v. State, 110 So. 3d 971 (Fla. 2d DCA 2013) (per curiam). We granted Mr. Coleman a belated direct appeal on this issue only, which is the subject of this proceeding. We now reverse Mr. Coleman’s conviction and sentence for attempted second-degree murder and remand for a new…

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