FRITZ THERMIDOR, JR., PETITIONER,
v.
STATE OF FLORIDA, RESPONDENT
AI-generated. These summaries, headnotes, and key points are machine-generated and may contain errors or omissions. Always verify against the full opinion text below. Not legal advice.
Fritz Thermidor Jr. petitioned for a writ of habeas corpus challenging the trial court's denial of bail on a robbery with a firearm charge. The appellate court granted the petition, finding that the State failed to establish that guilt was evident or the presumption was great, as required to deny bail for a life-felony offense.
The court held that the trial court abused its discretion by denying bail because the State failed to meet its burden of proving that guilt was evident or the presumption was great. Significant questions exist regarding whether a 'taking' occurred as required to prove robbery, particularly because no property was actually taken from the home.
[1] A defendant charged with an offense punishable by life imprisonment is entitled to pre-trial release on reasonable conditions unless the proof of guilt is evident or the…
[2] The State bears the burden of establishing that guilt is evident or the presumption is great to justify denying pre-trial release for offenses punishable by life imprison…
Previewing 2 of 4 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“unless the defendant is charged with a capital offense or an offense punishable by life imprisonment and the proof of guilt is evident or the presumption is great, the defendant shall be entitled to pre-trial release on reasonable conditions”
Establishes the constitutional and statutory right to bail for life felonies unless the State meets its burden of proof
Previewing 1 of 3 key quotes on this case — the court’s exact language, pinpointed for members.
Join FLexlaw to unlock all legal intelligencePetitioner was arrested for robbery with a firearm and other offenses. Bond was granted on all counts except robbery with a firearm. At the bond heari…
The full statement of facts, procedural history, and disposition for this case are member content.
Join FLexlaw to unlock all legal intelligence© FLexlaw, Inc. — AI-generated enrichments are proprietary. All rights reserved.
Explore caselaw by topic → Browse Offense Punishable By Life Imprisonment cases and more on FLexlaw
Petitioner, Fritz Thermidor Jr., seeks a writ of habeas corpus directing the trial court to set reasonable bail on the charge against him of robbery with a firearm. We grant the writ.
Petitioner was arrested for robbery with a firearm, home invasion robbery with a weapon, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon without intent to kill, battery, criminal mischief, and tampering with a witness. Bond was granted on all counts except for the robbery with a firearm charge. Robbery with a firearm is a first-degree felony punishable by life imprisonment. See § 812.13(2)(a), Fla. Stat. (2013).
*97Decisions regarding the setting of bail and conditions of a defendant’s pretrial release are reviewed under an abuse of discretion standard. Hernandez v. Roth, 890 So.2d 1173, 1174 (Fla. 3d DCA 2004). However, unless the defendant is charged with a capital offense or an offense punishable by life imprisonment and the proof of guilt is evident or the presumption is great, the defendant shall be entitled to pre-trial release on reasonable conditions. See Art. I, § 14, Fla. Const.; Fla. R. Crim. P. 3.131; State v. Arthur, 390 So.2d 717, 717 (Fla.1980). The State carries the burden of establishing that guilt is evident or the presumption is great. Seymour v. State, 132 So.3d 300, 303 (Fla. 4th DCA 2014) (holding that the State is held to a degree of proof greater than that required to establish guilt beyond a reasonable doubt).
- [3] According to testimony at the bond hearing, Petitioner entered the victim’s home demanding money for cleaning supplies. The victim had apparently given Petitioner money earlier that day for cleaning supplies but it was not enough to cover the cost. Petitioner had a gun and broke the victim’s locked bedroom door. In the bedroom, Petitioner emptied out the victim’s purse and knocked the victim’s cell phone from her hand. The victim recovered her cell phone, fled the room, and locked herself in the bathroom to call 911. Based on the record, it appears that Petition did not take any of the victim’s money or other property from the home.
Defense counsel argued that because there was no theft, there was no evidence that a robbery had taken place. The trial court apparently found that Petitioner deprived the victim of the phone when he slapped it from her hand and her purse when he rummaged through it. Accordingly, the trial court found that the proof of guilt was evident and the presumption was great that Petitioner had committed robbery with a firearm, and denied bond.
To prove the crime of robbery, the State must prove the following four elements beyond a reasonable doubt:
1. (Defendant) took the (money or property described in charge) from the person or custody of (person alleged).
2. Force, violence, assault, or putting in fear was used in the course of the taking.
3. The property taken was of some value.
4. The taking was with the intent to permanently or temporarily [deprive (victim) of [his][her] right to the property or any benefit from it] [appropriate the property of (victim) to [his][her] own use or to the use of any person not entitled to it].
Fla. Std. Jury Instr. (Crim.) 15.1 (Robbery).
Based on the evidence presented at the bond hearing, the State did not meet its burden of proving that guilt was evident or the presumption great that Petitioner committed robbery with a firearm. Significant questions exist as to whether there was a “taking” as required to prove robbery.1 Therefore, we grant the petition and direct the trial court to set a reasonable bond on the robbery with a firearm charge.
*98PETITION GRANTED; CAUSE REMANDED.
PALMER, EVANDER and COHEN, JJ., concur.
Cases With Similar Vibessemantic neighbors from the corpus
Citator
Cited By
-
Rhagnanan v. State, 232 So. 3d 524 (Fla. 5th DCA 2017)…n offense punishable by life imprisonment and the. proof of guilt is evident or the presumption is great, the person is entitled to pretrial release on reasonable conditions. See Art. I, § 14, Fla. Const.; Fla. R. Crim. P. 3.131; Thermidor v. State, 146 So. 3d 95, 96 (Fla. 5th DCA 2014). Attempted • second-degree murder is not a capital offense or an offense punishable by life imprisonment. It is a second-degree felony,1 thus entitling Rhagnanan to'a pretrial release on reasonable conditions, absent the cour…
-
Mayorquin v. State of Fla. & Louis A. Quinones, JR. (Fla. 5th DCA 2022)…to pretrial release on reasonable conditions.” Fla. R. Crim. P. 3.131(a); see Art. I, § 14, Fla. Const.; Barton v. State, 310 So. 3d 1120, 1121 (Fla. 5th DCA 2021); Rhagnanan v. State, 232 So. 3d 524, 525 (Fla. 5th DCA 2017); Thermidor v. State, 146 So. 3d 95, 97 (Fla. 5th DCA 2014); Hernandez v. Roth, 890 So. 2d 1173, 1174 (Fla. 3d DCA 2004); see also Thomas v. State, 208 So. 3d 326, 326–27 (Fla. 5th DCA 2017) (“If the State does not move for pretrial detention, or if its motion is facially insuffic…
Authorities Cited
- State v. Arthur, 390 So. 2d 717 (Fla. 1980)
- Hernandez v. Roth, 890 So. 2d 1173 (Fla. 3d DCA 2004)
- Meldon Rich v. State, 132 So. 3d 300 (Fla. 1st DCA 2014)
- Seymour v. State, 132 So. 3d 300 (Fla. 4th DCA 2014)