JOSEPH BING
v.
STATE OF FLORIDA

Fla. 2d DCA | 2018-12-12
No. 17-4952
268 So. 3d 192 Florida District Court of Appeal, Second District (2018) Positive Treatment
Cited by 1 case

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Synopsis

Joseph Bing appealed the summary denial of his motion for postconviction DNA testing under Florida Rule of Criminal Procedure 3.853. The appellate court affirmed the denial, finding that although Bing satisfied the requirements of rule 3.853(b)(4), his motion failed to satisfy rule 3.853(b)(2)'s requirements regarding prior DNA testing.


Holding

Although Bing's motion was facially sufficient under rule 3.853(b)(4) because identification was genuinely disputed and DNA evidence could exonerate him, the motion failed to satisfy rule 3.853(b)(2)'s requirement that he provide statements regarding whether evidence was previously tested for DNA or that prior results were inconclusive. The denial was affirmed without prejudice to allow Bing to file a facially sufficient motion.


Headnotes

[1] A motion for postconviction DNA testing must contain allegations satisfying both rule 3.853(b)(4), which requires a statement that identification is genuinely disputed or…

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Key Quotes

“Rule 3.853(b)(4) is written in the alternative: the movant must allege that identification is a genuinely disputed issue or he must explain how the DNA evidence would exonerate him.”

Court's explanation of the alternative requirements under Rule 3.853(b)(4)

Facts & Procedural History

Bing was convicted of a crime where he was linked to the offense primarily through the victim's identification. Bing filed a motion for postconviction…

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Opinion of the Court

BADALAMENTI, Judge.

Joseph Bing appeals the summary denial of his motion for postconviction DNA testing filed under Florida Rule of Criminal Procedure 3.853. Although the postconviction court erred by denying Bing's motion based on his failure to satisfy rule 3.853(b)(4), we nevertheless affirm because Bing's motion failed to satisfy rule 3.853(b)(2)'s requirements. We therefore affirm without prejudice to Bing for any right he may have to file a facially sufficient rule 3.853 motion.

While Bing's allegations were inartfully presented, we conclude that they were facially sufficient to satisfy the requirements set forth in rule 3.853(b)(4). Rule 3.853(b)(4) states that a motion for DNA testing must include "a statement that identification of the movant is a genuinely disputed issue in the case and why it is an issue or an explanation of how the DNA evidence would either exonerate the defendant or mitigate the sentence that the movant received." Fla. R. Crim. P. 3.853(b)(4) (emphasis added); see also Gonzalez v. State, 41 So. 3d 1050, 1051 (Fla. 2d DCA 2010) ("[Rule 3.853(b)(4)] is written in the alternative: the movant must allege that identification is a genuinely disputed issue or he must explain how the DNA evidence would exonerate him."). Bing's allegations were facially sufficient to satisfy rule 3.853(b)(4) because Bing averred that he was linked to the crime only by the victim's identification of him as the perpetrator. See Zollman v. State, 820 So. 2d 1059, 1062 (Fla. 2d DCA 2002) ("[I]dentity is a 'genuinely disputed' issue when the only significant evidence connecting the defendant to the crime is the victim's identification of the defendant."). Alternatively, Bing's allegations were facially sufficient to satisfy rule 3.853(b)(4) because Bing asserted that DNA testing would demonstrate that another particular person was the actual perpetrator, thus exonerating him.

Although we hold that Bing's motion was facially sufficient under rule 3.853(b)(4), Bing failed to include any allegations that would satisfy rule 3.853(b)(2)'s requirement that he provide a statement that the evidence was not previously tested for DNA, or a statement that the results of previous DNA testing were inconclusive and that subsequent scientific developments in DNA testing techniques likely would produce a definitive result establishing that the movant is not the person who committed the crime.

Fla. R. Crim. P. 3.853(b)(2).

Accordingly, we affirm without prejudice to any right Bing may have to file a facially sufficient rule 3.853 motion. Any such motion should not be considered successive. See Harvey v. State, 925 So. 2d 1111, 1111 (Fla. 2d DCA 2006); Lemay v. State, 921 So. 2d 853, 854 (Fla. 2d DCA 2006).

Affirmed.

NORTHCUTT and SILBERMAN, JJ., Concur.


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